Sheetal Khandal Clarifies On Sidharth Shukla Controversy: ‘I Don’t Have Any Intention To Seek Publicity’

TV actor Sheetal Khandal, who was part of the show Balika Vadhu, recently accused her co-star Sidharth Shukla (currently a participant in a reality show) of inappropriate behaviour, when they were co-stars on the daily soap. Reactions have been aplenty on social media. Some are defending Shukla, questioning why Sheetal has suddenly opened up after all this time, while some claim she wants to piggyback on him being in the news currently.

Sticking to her stand, Sheetal clarifies, “I don’t have any intention to seek publicity or get into the reality show that Siddharth is currently a part of. I have no interest in all this.” Sheetal, in an interview to timesofindia.indiatimes.com, had revealed that Sidharth used to “crack vulgar jokes and touch inappropriately during Balika Vadhu.”

Also read: Bigg Boss 13 Weekend Ka Waar written update, October 26: Salman Khan screams at Siddharth Dey, calls wild card entrants Hindustani Bhau, Tehseen Poonawalla

“My intention is to not accuse him now, as it’s over. But the media is projecting it like I’m accusing him (only) now. I just shared my experience with a journalist friend. I don’t know if Sidharth is the same as then, or he has changed now. People are considering ‘inappropriate’ in a different way. People are saying “it was sexual harassment” which is entirely something else. It is a very big comment which I have not said at all,” adds Sheetal.

We ask her how it all started. Sheetal recalls, “Sidharth used to be over-friendly by talking about relationships, and would tease me by making vulgar comments in front of everyone. I told him that I don’t like all this. I used to feel uncomfortable with the way he would look at me. Once during a shot, he touched my feet inappropriately. When I would be alone, he would come and say sorry. But I realised that people on the sets had started linking us up. I was already in a relationship with somebody else and there was nothing between me and Sidharth. I even complained to the producer about him because of which we had a big fight on the sets and then we decided to maintain a distance from each other.”

According to a source, Sidharth’s reputation in the industry is not good. “He had temper issues and kayi baar woh ladkiyo ko galat nazar se dekhta tha. The reported differences between actors Rashmi Desai and Jasmin Bhasin was because of Sidharth when they were shooting for the show Dil Se Dil Tak,” the source claims.

While Sidharth remained unavailable for comment, other co-stars defend him. Jasmin says, “Working with Sidharth was a very smooth experience. For me, it was quite unbelievable to know he would try something (like this) because as far as I know him, he really respects women. I have seen how he treats his mother and two sisters… I never felt Sidharth could do something like this. I won’t say that he has temper issues, he’s a very fair and just man. If something is wrong, it is wrong, and he will voice out for it.”

Also read: Salman Khan, Iulia Vantur, Kajol’s daughter Nysa, Kartik Aaryan add glamour to Krishan Kumar’s Diwali celebrations. See pics

Actor Mahhi Vij, who worked with Sidharth in Fear Factor, says, “I’ve never felt uncomfortable around him. But it is something which Sheetal has gone through.”

Actor Aishwarya Sakhuja also adds, “I’ve never had any issues with Sidharth. In fact, he used to take a stand for me whenever things would go wrong. Not once did I feel that he is crossing the line.”

Balika Vadhu co-star Smita Bansal shares, “Sidharth has never misbehaved in front of me, and used to treat me with the utmost respect. I can’t comment on people’s relationships because not everyone behaves in the same way towards everyone.”