MUMBAI: Shilpa Shinde, who is returning to television with 'Gangs Of Filmistan' after a gap of two years, shocked everyone when she revealed exclusively that she is not happy with the makers of the show. The actress has levied some serious allegations against the producers of the show for flouting the guidelines while shooting on the sets of 'GOF' and lying to her about Sunil Grover not being part of the show. However, Preeti Simoes (one of the producers) denied Shilpa's allegations. Preeti stated that the production team is following all the guidelines, and the audit team can check whenever they want. She hopes to resolve the misunderstanding and feels Shilpa's reaction of not having enough scenes on the show has come prematurely.

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Preeti on following all the guidelines

"Shilpa is an extremely senior actor and she is also a very talented girl. After our last experience of working with her in a web show during the last IPL, genuinely we thought, she is one of the most professional girls to work with and she did not give us any trouble at all. Her and Sunil Gover's chemistry on screen was so brilliant and which was so appreciated by the audience that we thought that it would be great to repeat the pairing. We know it is a very large group even though many of us are working with limited people and many people are multitasking. From a production point of view, the channel's point of view with such limited resources, we can't take a chance of anyone falling sick. Literally the entire system will collapse. Earlier we had five people to write a script, now we have to do it with only two people. Because we have to actually cut down the number of people on the sets. It is a big set in 'Filmistan' and in the heart of Mumbai. So, anyone can come and check us at any point of time. There is an audit team which sits and monitors all the protocols and the SOP that happen on sets. They keep a watchful eye. There is a doctor and ambulance on set so we cannot take these things lightly for sure. All the apprehension that she has and has claimed, I don't know where it is coming from because those are not true. Everyone who's coming on the set is living with their family in Mumbai so whether it is me as a producer, I live with my grandmother who's 80 year old and I have to go back home to her. Similarly, Sunil lives with his 10-year-old son, Sugandha lives with her parents, everyone on the sets from my online director to my makeup artists, the spot team everyone is living with their family."

Frames - the other producers of the show is producing India's Best Dancer

"Someone has just got a baby or someone has just got married so do you think, 'Okay we will be flouting the rules and regulations? Obviously not.' Nobody wants to get ill. At this point of time everyone wants to work, no one wants any sort of accident to happen on the sets. Everyone is actually thankful that finally shooting has started because everyone was sitting at their home for 5 months without work. They have come out of their houses with fear so how can they not take care of the guidelines. Everybody smells of sanitizers on my sets. All the artists have their individual vans, separate makeup kits, makeup people. In fact, most of our artists have been told to get ready from their homes and do their own makeup and come so that nobody mixes with anyone else. Shilpa does her own makeup and hair and comes on set. So, I don't know how we are flouting the rules. We are always open to anyone coming and checking because our set is an open set in the heart of Mumbai and not isolated. I completely refute these claims. For us, all the artists and people back at our home are very important. I don't know why Shilpa felt it and she has not shared the information with anyone on the sets. In fact, we are working as a team, and if there would have been a slight mistake also as a team you can point it out immediately, but it has never happened. And Frames the other producers of the show is producing India's Best Dancer and that show is on a very large scale compared to ours. So we are following exactly the same protocol that is being followed there. Everybody has worked with everybody earlier, it is like a team and we have a homely atmosphere on the sets. If we would have violated any rule, someone would have definitely pointed out."

Preeti on Shilpa's accusations of lying that Sunil won't be part of the show

"When we were casting, Shilpa Shinde was the first name that was finalised for the show. Sunil was brought on board very later. Siddharth and Shilpa were the first two people, whom we spoke to for the show. And any creative process is a process by the time the show got developed into what it is today, there was a need to cast someone of Sunil's stature and experience to be a part of the show. So, when the show went on the floor, when we were shooting the promo, Shilpa knew about it. In fact, during the shooting of the promo, she had a few reservations and we spoke about it very nicely. I told her creatively how we are going to be doing this show and shooting. She was very much okay about it and she was very happy. She dealt with the rest of the cast very well. In fact, I really mean it from the bottom of my heart, she really gets along well with Sunil also. They are very cordial with each other. We do many spoofs of Bollywood films in the show and every scoof has a male lead and a female lead so Shilpa usually ends up playing the female lead and Sunil the male lead. Their chemistry with each other is so good. We mail scripts two days in advance so if there was any apprehension she could have brought it up. She never did that. She never told me that she doesn't want to perform with Sunil Grover or her lines were less as compared to other actors."

No favourtism is been given to Sunil Grover

"Inherently, Shilpa is an actor and the other person is a stand-up comic actor. So a lot of improvisions happen then and there which is not in our control and ultimately it is for the betterment of the show. So, sometimes lines are very good, sometimes they are not but at the end of the day everyone improvises on stage. Ultimately, that is the process of how comedy shows work. It is a live stage set up and not a normal daily soap that you will follow line to line. I would say as the rest of the cast are professionals, who are doing it for so many years, she might find it difficult but she has been so good that this actually never came across that she was uncomfortable with the role she was given or with any line. I think her reaction for not being seen on the show has come a little premature as she has not seen the show. She doesn't know how the entire episode has been fleshed out, how she is looking in the show. Her fans will be very happy to see her because obviously we would also like to do justice with the actor of her calibre. Why would I pay to get a Shilpa Shinde when I won't show her in the episode. She is an A-list actress of television, so why would I get her name and not utilise her. As far as giving favourtism to Sunil Grover is concerned, that's not at all true because only the first promo was Sunil but after that all actors who have been in combination with other actors have their individual promo. Everyone is pretty much equal on the show, I think the anxiety that she has about not being seen on the show, will fade away."

We have not heard about these problems from her

"I learnt it from your article and I had no idea about it. All these problems that she is talking about are not that can't be resolved. These are very small issues. We are open to talk to her, our communication is open. We have invested a lot of energy to put in this show together at times of COVID. Shilpa also knows about the efforts. We are hoping that we can speak to her and if there is any miscommunication from our level also, and if we have made her feel a certain way, we are always there to clear it. Why would you invest so much time and energy in a person and then not end it on a good note. It is a very small industry and at some or the other point we will cross each other's paths and will have to work together. So, there are no permanent enemies in the industry."

Also read Shilpa Shinde plans to quit Gangs of Filmistan, says makers are exploiting her

Credits: TOI