Shilpa Shinde recalls sexual assault at the hands of a Bollywood filmmaker; says, “His children are little younger than me”

Ever since the findings of the Justice Hema Committee Report were made public by the Kerela government last month, several actresses have been opening up about the harassment they have faced in the Malayalam film industry. Not just Mollywood actresses, but several actors from different film industries across the country have also become vocal. Now, actress Shilpa Shinde has also spoken up about being sexually assaulted by a Hindi filmmaker during the early days of her career. Read on to know all she said.

Shilpa Shinde recalls sexual assault during her struggling day

Opening up about being asked to strip and seduce a filmmaker, Shilpa Shinde said, “It was during my struggling days, around 1998-99. I cannot take names, but they told me, ‘Aap yeh kapde pehno aur yeh scene karo’ (wear these clothes and do this scene). I didn’t wear those clothes. In the scene, he told me he was my boss, and I had to seduce him. I was very innocent then, so I did the scene. That person tried to force himself on me, and I got so scared. I pushed him away and ran out. The security staff realised what had happened and asked me to leave immediately. They thought I would make a scene and call for help.”

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While refraining from naming the alleged perpetrator, the former Bigg Boss winner said, “He was from the Hindi film industry.” She added, “I cannot take his name. His children are probably a little younger than me, and if I name him, they will suffer too.” Recalling meeting him years later, she said, “After a few years, I met him again, and he spoke to me kindly. He didn’t recognize me and even offered me a film role. I refused. He still doesn’t remember me.”

Shilpa: These things happen to everyone

The ‘Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai!’ actress stated that many across the industry have experienced similar experiences. She said, “These things happen to everyone. Some have run away like I did. We, as actors, have talked about it, and others have told me they’ve faced similar situations, even with well-known figures.” The actress added, “When people talk about sexual harassment, I strongly believe that yes, you may have been approached, but you also have the choice to say no. You can choose not to be part of it. This happens to everyone.”

Hema Committee Report aftermath

Following the release of the Hema Committee report, Mohanlal resigned as President of AMMA. Along with him, all the members of the executive committee submitted their joint resignations. Several actors across film industries in India have commented on the report, including Swara Bhasker, Tanushree Dutta, Lakshmi Manchu, Prithviraj Sukumara, Tovino Thomas, Parvathy Thiruvothu and many more.

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Also Read: Prithviraj Sukumaran comments on the Hema Committee report; says, “It’s important to punish those who have committed s*xual abuse”