Shilpa Shinde is known for speaking her mind and not mincing her words. The actor recently signed up for an upcoming comedy show, Gangs of Filmistan, with Sunil Grover but soon after seems to be rethinking her decision. Though she was a part of the comedy show called Dhan Dhana Dhan with Grover in the past, and admires his “talent”, Shinde was disappointed to know the actor-comedian was the face of the show. “I don’t mind saying that this show is all about him and others don’t really get a chance to do much. I expressed my reservations to the producers but I was told that his portion is separate from mine. But later I found out that he will be a judge and the other actors will entertain him. They have been shooting his gag most of the time, so if this is his show, are we just props?,” she questions.
Shinde is also irked by the “ill preparation of the team, and no scripts in place”. She adds, “Comedy is male dominated. Women don’t get chances. (Comedian) Sugandha Mishra can do lots more than imitate (singer) Lata Mangeshkarji but both of us are like show pieces in the show. Female comedians ko mauka denge tabhi to ham shine kar payenge. Mujhe bola mera comeback hai, par mujhe to back mein rakha hai. The producers are exploiting actors because many didn’t have any work for the last four months. How can we work like this?”
Talking about female comedians, Shinde recalls the time when she starred in a popular ongoing sitcom. “I was called Lady Kapil Sharma as people loved my comedy in the sitcom I did earlier and I used to feel proud. Other than Bharti Singh, who has made a name for herself, there are no other successful female comedians. Sugandha is really good but getting the right platform to showcase your talent is important, only then can people appreciate you. People think that women can’t make you laugh, which is why we hardly see female comedians. Other than Srideviji, there aren’t many actresses who did comedy,” she shares.
Shinde, who was looking forward to working again and “doing some cool comedy” but adds this doesn’t seem to be the case. The actor was unwell, had a headache all including a running nose yet shot for 12 hrs. “We have shot for two days for a daily comedy show. It has been hectic. I can’t work in such an atmosphere. Maybe, tomorrow, I won’t be a part of the show. Kya main is sab ke liye TV karne aayi hoon do saal ke baad? I want to work but I want to feel happy about my work and not feel like I am compromising,” she signs off.