Actress Palak Sindhwani, who plays the character of Sonu Bhide in the popular television serial Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, recently accused the producers of exploiting her. She revealed that no exclusivity contract was discussed with her, and when she expressed her desire to leave the show in August, they began treating her unfairly.
Speaking to ETimes, Palak stated that the exploitation reached its peak when they accused her of breaching the contract. She revealed that the negative media reports took a toll on her, but she refused to stay silent and would often ask the producers when she could officially resign. "It was emotionally draining—I was hurt inside and mentally affected. I would cry in my makeup room and then pull myself together for the shots," Sindhwani added.
Further, Palak said that she was deeply hurt as she has been dedicated 5 years to the show, and she does not deserve this treatment. She stated that during a meeting on September 18, they told her that she had breached the contract. "This only came up after I announced I was leaving the show. When I asked for a copy of the contract, they gave it to me on September 19, just a day after the meeting," she added.
Sindhwani revealed that the makers threatened her to delete her social media account, so she would not be able to do brand endorsements anymore.
"I pointed out that almost all the actors are doing brand endorsements, so why was I the only one being accused of breaching the contract? They responded that their contracts are different and I shouldn’t compare myself with others. They also started speaking to me rudely, using the same harsh language they use with others," she added.
Palak shared that she kept shooting for TMKOC despite dealing with health issues. Even after submitting her medical reports to the makers, they forced her to shoot for 12 hours straight, leaving her unable to meet or respond to their legal notice, as she was constantly stuck on set.
"Only I know how I managed the last 6-7 days. I've been mentally harassed by them, and these have been the most traumatic days of my life. They call me to shoots and make me sit for 12 hours, even though my actual work only takes 30 minutes," further added Palak.
Palak has released a statement claiming that the production house is yet to clear her dues of Rs 21 lakhs. "Till date, Palak is not even paid her outstanding dues which is over 21 lakhs. This shows that production house is in breach and not Palak. In fact, Palak is not contemplating filing a criminal and civil case of harassment and torture against the concerned officials of the production house," said the statement.
