Why did Shilpa Shinde file false sexual harassment case? Revisiting the Bhabiji row
On a recent podcast, Shilpa Shinde said the sexual harassment case she filed against producer Sanjay Kohli was false and stemmed from her dispute with the Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! makers. Her remarks have revived the long-running controversy.
Actor Shilpa Shinde has reopened her long-running dispute with the makers of Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain, nearly a decade after she left the show in 2016. Speaking on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachaiyaa's podcast, Shinde said the sexual harassment allegations she had made against producer Sanjay Kohli were false, and claimed she filed the complaint because she had no other option at the time. She said the matter was later settled and that her pending payments were cleared.
Her remarks have brought back a controversy that began with her exit from the sitcom, then grew into a contract fight, a complaint against industry bodies, a sexual harassment FIR, and finally a withdrawal of that case in 2018. But what really happened between the two parties that led Shinde to lodge false allegations? And why talk about the issue now - after 10 years?
On the podcast, Shinde said, "Nobody knows this, and I am not afraid of telling the truth. Even today, I will say this because it is a big thing. I filed a sexual harassment case against my producer because I had no other option. Eventually, I got out of that situation because the matter was settled."
She said the complaint came during a wider dispute over payments and support within the industry. Shinde added that the police had told her serious allegations would have to be included for an FIR to be registered. She said she came from a law background, understood the process, and was now admitting publicly for the first time that the allegations were false. She also said that after a settlement was reached, the payment that was due to her was released.
It all started when Shinde quit Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! a show on &TV at the peak of her popularity. The decision came as abrupt and almost as a shocker to her fans who had warmed up to the idea of seeing a pretty but naive Angoori Bhabhi on the screen. Here's a detailed timeline of the issue:
March 2016: Exit from the show and contract dispute
Shinde quit Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!, alleging that the makers had mentally tortured her. The production house then sent her a legal notice, accusing her of breach of contract.
Shinde told the news agency PTI that the trouble began when the makers asked her to sign an exclusivity contract that would have stopped her from doing other shows. "You cannot make anyone sign an exclusivity contract like that. Why are you trying to spoil our career? I am giving you my 25 days or so, what is the problem if I do other shows in between," she said.
She also said she had never signed that contract and that she had joined the show after Rashami Desai left the role abruptly. "I helped them when they needed. Today, they are spreading rumours that I threw tantrums on the set. That is sheer mental torture," she said.
Shinde accused the makers of favouritism
At the time, there were also reports that Shinde had sought a pay rise and wanted her own designers on the show. She said there was favouritism on the set and claimed that co-star Saumya Tandon was given more support. 'She gets her own costume designer, a personal hairdresser, but I had to ask for these things. Even if I am demanding a certain pay, it is because of my position,' Shinde said.
Shinde also said she had spoken to Tandon about her discomfort, but did not get the response she expected. Recalling the exchange, she said Tandon told her that no one in the industry would do such a thing. Shinde further claimed that Tandon told Binaifer Kohli (the producer's wife) about the conversation, and that two days later, Binaifer asked if she wanted to leave the show. According to Shinde, Binaifer told her that if someone spoke to her affectionately, she should not read more into it, and warned that it would take only two minutes to spoil her career.
What the production house said
The production house, Edit II Productions, said it would take necessary action against Shinde for her abrupt exit. In a statement, the production house said it had learnt from media reports that she was planning to take up another show on a rival channel, which it called a blatant breach of her contractual obligations. It also questioned how she could be fit to consider another show if she had stopped shooting citing a migraine. The makers said they had already increased her fee twice and alleged that this was not the first time they had faced what they called her unprofessional attitude.
Actor Saumya Tandon, who played the role of Anita bhabhi alongside Shinde's Angoori, later told DNA that she had no knowledge of the issue her co-star had raised. She said she stood strongly against sexual harassment of women at work or anywhere else, but added that there had been no communication between her and Shinde on the matter. Tandon also said her own interactions with the producer had always been professional and that she could not comment on Shinde's case because she was not aware of it.
March 2017: Complaint against industry bodies
A year later, Shinde filed a criminal defamation complaint against the heads of three industry bodies. Through her lawyer Ninad Majumdar, she moved the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate's court against Harry Baweja of the Indian Films and TV Producers Council (IFTPC), Dilip Pithva of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), and Sushant Singh of the Cine and Television Artistes Association (CINTAA).
Shinde alleged that the bodies had effectively banned her, even though, according to her, they had no such power. She said they had warned production houses against employing her, and that this cost her major opportunities, including The Kapil Sharma Show, for which she was in talks.
Shine filed sexual harassment FIR against the producer
Around the same time, Shinde also filed an FIR against Sanjay Kohli for sexual harassment. According to reports, the FIR said Kohli tried to get intimate with her, called her "hot" and "sexy", threatened to remove her from the show if she did not reciprocate, and touched her inappropriately.
One source quoted by the Hindustan Times said Shinde had not mentioned any such allegation for a year, and pointed to an incident in November 2016 when she allegedly came to the set with a box of chocolates for the producer's wife Binaifer. The source asked why she would do that if Binaifer's husband had molested her.
Binaifer Kohli also denied the allegations and told AajTak that they did not know why Shinde was doing this after a year. She said the family would respond legally and did not want to give the issue more publicity.
February 2018: Case withdrawn
In February 2018, Shinde withdrew the sexual harassment case against Sanjay Kohli, bringing that part of the dispute to an end. She later said that after the case, many producers and artistes contacted her to settle the matter, even though no one had taken the initiative when she was in trouble earlier.
Speaking to Pinkvilla then, Shinde said she received the payment for the three months she had worked and was told to finish the matter.
She said, "Who likes to stretch things?" She also referred to the Rs 12.5 crore claim made against her and said the artists' association had been against her. She alleged that CINTAA member Sushant Singh had issued a letter calling her unprofessional, and said that when someone takes a stand, this is how they are treated. She said she ultimately decided to let it go. In another remark, she said the case between her and the producer had ended in CINTAA, but Sushant was still after her and making her life miserable.
December 2025: Return to the show
In December 2025, almost a decade after leaving the show, Shinde returned to play the beloved character. Speaking about the comeback, she said returning as Angoori Bhabi after 10 years was a very big moment for her. She said she had never imagined she would play the character again, but felt life had brought her back to where she truly belonged.
Shinde said Angoori Bhabi had never left her, even when she was not playing the role on screen, and that people continued to call her by the character's name both online and in real life. Recalling how fans would ask when she would return, she added with a laugh that their original Angoori Bhabi was back.
Her comments on the podcast have now added a fresh turn to a controversy that has followed the show and its former lead for years.
Several celebrities, including actor Hina Khan and the Delhi-based men's rights group NCMIndia Council for Men Affairs, have questioned her remarks. Shinde has since said she did not level the false charges only for money, but the outrage continues.
Actor Shilpa Shinde has reopened her long-running dispute with the makers of Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain, nearly a decade after she left the show in 2016. Speaking on Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachaiyaa's podcast, Shinde said the sexual harassment allegations she had made against producer Sanjay Kohli were false, and claimed she filed the complaint because she had no other option at the time. She said the matter was later settled and that her pending payments were cleared.
Her remarks have brought back a controversy that began with her exit from the sitcom, then grew into a contract fight, a complaint against industry bodies, a sexual harassment FIR, and finally a withdrawal of that case in 2018. But what really happened between the two parties that led Shinde to lodge false allegations? And why talk about the issue now - after 10 years?
On the podcast, Shinde said, "Nobody knows this, and I am not afraid of telling the truth. Even today, I will say this because it is a big thing. I filed a sexual harassment case against my producer because I had no other option. Eventually, I got out of that situation because the matter was settled."
She said the complaint came during a wider dispute over payments and support within the industry. Shinde added that the police had told her serious allegations would have to be included for an FIR to be registered. She said she came from a law background, understood the process, and was now admitting publicly for the first time that the allegations were false. She also said that after a settlement was reached, the payment that was due to her was released.
It all started when Shinde quit Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! a show on &TV at the peak of her popularity. The decision came as abrupt and almost as a shocker to her fans who had warmed up to the idea of seeing a pretty but naive Angoori Bhabhi on the screen. Here's a detailed timeline of the issue:
March 2016: Exit from the show and contract dispute
Shinde quit Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!, alleging that the makers had mentally tortured her. The production house then sent her a legal notice, accusing her of breach of contract.
Shinde told the news agency PTI that the trouble began when the makers asked her to sign an exclusivity contract that would have stopped her from doing other shows. "You cannot make anyone sign an exclusivity contract like that. Why are you trying to spoil our career? I am giving you my 25 days or so, what is the problem if I do other shows in between," she said.
She also said she had never signed that contract and that she had joined the show after Rashami Desai left the role abruptly. "I helped them when they needed. Today, they are spreading rumours that I threw tantrums on the set. That is sheer mental torture," she said.
Shinde accused the makers of favouritism
At the time, there were also reports that Shinde had sought a pay rise and wanted her own designers on the show. She said there was favouritism on the set and claimed that co-star Saumya Tandon was given more support. 'She gets her own costume designer, a personal hairdresser, but I had to ask for these things. Even if I am demanding a certain pay, it is because of my position,' Shinde said.
Shinde also said she had spoken to Tandon about her discomfort, but did not get the response she expected. Recalling the exchange, she said Tandon told her that no one in the industry would do such a thing. Shinde further claimed that Tandon told Binaifer Kohli (the producer's wife) about the conversation, and that two days later, Binaifer asked if she wanted to leave the show. According to Shinde, Binaifer told her that if someone spoke to her affectionately, she should not read more into it, and warned that it would take only two minutes to spoil her career.
What the production house said
The production house, Edit II Productions, said it would take necessary action against Shinde for her abrupt exit. In a statement, the production house said it had learnt from media reports that she was planning to take up another show on a rival channel, which it called a blatant breach of her contractual obligations. It also questioned how she could be fit to consider another show if she had stopped shooting citing a migraine. The makers said they had already increased her fee twice and alleged that this was not the first time they had faced what they called her unprofessional attitude.
Actor Saumya Tandon, who played the role of Anita bhabhi alongside Shinde's Angoori, later told DNA that she had no knowledge of the issue her co-star had raised. She said she stood strongly against sexual harassment of women at work or anywhere else, but added that there had been no communication between her and Shinde on the matter. Tandon also said her own interactions with the producer had always been professional and that she could not comment on Shinde's case because she was not aware of it.
March 2017: Complaint against industry bodies
A year later, Shinde filed a criminal defamation complaint against the heads of three industry bodies. Through her lawyer Ninad Majumdar, she moved the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate's court against Harry Baweja of the Indian Films and TV Producers Council (IFTPC), Dilip Pithva of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), and Sushant Singh of the Cine and Television Artistes Association (CINTAA).
Shinde alleged that the bodies had effectively banned her, even though, according to her, they had no such power. She said they had warned production houses against employing her, and that this cost her major opportunities, including The Kapil Sharma Show, for which she was in talks.
Shine filed sexual harassment FIR against the producer
Around the same time, Shinde also filed an FIR against Sanjay Kohli for sexual harassment. According to reports, the FIR said Kohli tried to get intimate with her, called her "hot" and "sexy", threatened to remove her from the show if she did not reciprocate, and touched her inappropriately.
One source quoted by the Hindustan Times said Shinde had not mentioned any such allegation for a year, and pointed to an incident in November 2016 when she allegedly came to the set with a box of chocolates for the producer's wife Binaifer. The source asked why she would do that if Binaifer's husband had molested her.
Binaifer Kohli also denied the allegations and told AajTak that they did not know why Shinde was doing this after a year. She said the family would respond legally and did not want to give the issue more publicity.
February 2018: Case withdrawn
In February 2018, Shinde withdrew the sexual harassment case against Sanjay Kohli, bringing that part of the dispute to an end. She later said that after the case, many producers and artistes contacted her to settle the matter, even though no one had taken the initiative when she was in trouble earlier.
Speaking to Pinkvilla then, Shinde said she received the payment for the three months she had worked and was told to finish the matter.
She said, "Who likes to stretch things?" She also referred to the Rs 12.5 crore claim made against her and said the artists' association had been against her. She alleged that CINTAA member Sushant Singh had issued a letter calling her unprofessional, and said that when someone takes a stand, this is how they are treated. She said she ultimately decided to let it go. In another remark, she said the case between her and the producer had ended in CINTAA, but Sushant was still after her and making her life miserable.
December 2025: Return to the show
In December 2025, almost a decade after leaving the show, Shinde returned to play the beloved character. Speaking about the comeback, she said returning as Angoori Bhabi after 10 years was a very big moment for her. She said she had never imagined she would play the character again, but felt life had brought her back to where she truly belonged.
Shinde said Angoori Bhabi had never left her, even when she was not playing the role on screen, and that people continued to call her by the character's name both online and in real life. Recalling how fans would ask when she would return, she added with a laugh that their original Angoori Bhabi was back.
Her comments on the podcast have now added a fresh turn to a controversy that has followed the show and its former lead for years.
Several celebrities, including actor Hina Khan and the Delhi-based men's rights group NCMIndia Council for Men Affairs, have questioned her remarks. Shinde has since said she did not level the false charges only for money, but the outrage continues.
