Shilpa Shinde recently faced backlash for remarks she made about Shubhangi Atre, who portrayed Angoori Bhabhi for nearly nine years after Shilpa quit Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai in 2016. In a viral interview clip, she was quoted saying, “Achhi actress hain, but comedy sab ke bas ki baat nahi hai. Uske baad kisi ko copy karna bohot mushkil hota hai aur pressure bhi hota hai.” The statement drew flak from netizens and a section of the industry. However, speaking to us, Shilpa said her words were misunderstood and taken out of context. She said, “I was actually complimenting Shubhangi, not belittiling her. Comedy sab ke bas ki baat nahi hoti. Uske baad agar aap kisi aur ko copy karne jaate ho, chahe use mimicry kahein ya kuchh aur, toh woh aur bhi mushkil ho jaata hai. Phir uss character ko karna aur lagataar nau saal tak nibhaana, yeh ek bohot badi baat hai. Usne apni jagah banaayi. I added that had she done something entirely her own; she might have been even more popular than me. What’s wrong in what I said? I have seen her previous work, and she is a good artiste. Maybe I am not very good at conveying my feelings properly, or someone deliberately twisted what I said. People cannot digest positivity. My comeback has been getting a good response, and someone clearly had an issue with that. Shilpa matlab controversy aani chahiye.”

Reacting to industry colleagues who criticised her online, she said, “Kuchh actors ne behti ganga mein haath dhone ka kaam kiya hai. Unhone poora video dekha hi nahi. Woh log footage khaane aa gaye, jinka koi lena dena nahi hai.” Maintaining that she shares a cordial equation with Shubhangi, Shilpa added, “I think Shubhangi and I share that kind of relationship where she would have called me herself if she felt offended or wanted clarity about my statement. I find it very silly to even stretch this conversation. I hope Shubhangi herself comes forward and says that what I said was actually a compliment.” Shilpa praised co-actor Vidisha Srivastava stating that she portrayed Anita Bhabhi in her own style and didn’t copy Saumya Tandon adding fuel to fire. Speaking about it, Shilpa said, “Vidisha suits the role very well and plays Anita in her own way, just as I played Angoori in mine. The only briefs were that Angoori speaks incorrect English and loves her husband. Everything else was created collectively. ‘Sahi pakde hain’ also came after discussions with the writer. It is teamwork and well-etched characters that have kept the show running for the past 10 years. If everyone had been below par, the show would have ended long ago. I also feel if my exit had not been highlighted so much, it would not have mattered the way it did. Mere jaane ko itna underline kar diya gaya that everything around it became a talking point.”