To ban or not to ban? CINTAA clears the air on Shilpa Shinde controversy

Shilpa Shinde

In light of the apparent ‘ban' against actress Shilpa Shinde, the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE), Cine and TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) and Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) discussed the issue with Benaifer Kohli, the producer of the show 'Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain!' as well as Shilpa Shinde. The council came to the decision that strict action has to be taken against the actress for breaching her contract.

Shilpa Shinde

However, the question that got raised was how can any body choose to ban an actor? Considering CINTAA is an actor's association, how could they take a step like that? We caught up with Amit Behl, chairman, Dispute Committee, CINTAA, he says, "There is no ban. We are just issuing a letter from the federation, by the producers' body and CINTAA asking Shilpa to give an explanation and there has to be a monetary compensation because the channel and the producer have undergone a loss."

He adds, "We've never even used the ‘ban' word; we've been misquoted, I am very upset. How can I ban anyone, if I do that I can be questioned in the court of law? CINTAA has never used the word ban nor did we say that we'd take legal action. We have said that some disciplinary action against any defaulting member has to be initiated after hearing both sides of the point. CINTAA is a trade union; we cannot ban someone, banning means snatching away the chances to a livelihood."

JD Majethia, co-chairman of IFTPC, claims that while he was not present during the Shilpa Shinde meeting, he has heard a lot about the issue. JD insists that it's not right when actors decide to walk out of a show just because they've got a better offer. He says,"When you sign a contract, you agreed to follow the terms and conditions. Recently, Karan V Grover also quit his show, just when the show has started doing well. Is it fair? I am an actor too, but I understand that every producer invests a lot of money on their shows. It is a matter of commitment and discipline. We can't force anyone to not work with Shilpa. But since this issue has been highlighted so much, any producer would think twice before working with her."