An enormous fan base has grown up around the popular and long-running Indian television show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. The show, however, received negative press last month for all the wrong reasons. Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal, an actress well-known for playing Mrs. Roshan Singh Sodhi, has made shocking claims about the atmosphere on the set of the well-known sitcom. Jennifer accused Asit Modi, the show’s producer, and his staff of acting inappropriately and treating the actresses badly. She illuminated the murkier aspects of what occurs behind the scenes of this well-known show. Scroll to read Top Controversy Of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.
Top Controversy Of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah
The actress was cited for disclosing incidents of body-shaming and even claiming to have been the victim of sexual assault, underscoring the saying “Everything that looks good on-screen, ain’t good off-screen.” The alarming claims made by Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal were also backed by other former Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah performers.
Former show employees Monika Bhadoriya and Priya Ahuja also shared their personal experiences, which were remarkably identical to those of Jennifer. A larger debate concerning workplace ethics on Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah sets has been started by the discoveries made by Jennifer, Monika, and Priya. Here is a summary of what has happened thus far and how it all began for the uninitiated.
Jennifer’s accusations against Asit Modi:
Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal filed severe accusations against producer Asit Kumarr Modi on May 11, saying that he had repeatedly made unwanted sexual approaches toward her. Jennifer claimed to Pinkvilla in an exclusive interview that she was not the only victim on the show and that other actors had also gone through the same experiences but opted to keep quiet. She said: “In 2019, he (Asit Modi) grabbed my cheeks twice and remarked in front of everyone, ‘Tum hanste hue acchi lagti ho’ (Your smile makes you look very attractive). In good fun, he also said, “Come, let’s have whisky together,” or “Aao, aakar whisky peete hain.”
Jennifer stated that Asit Kumarr Modi asked her to join him in his room for a whisky drink on a trip to Singapore, which took her off guard. The next day, she felt scared and apprehensive when he complimented her and said that he wanted to hold and kiss her. Another instance was also mentioned by Jennifer, who said, “Once Asit Modi said, ‘If you don’t have a room partner at night, come and drink whisky in my room.'” She further claimed that he started minimizing her screen time on the show when she refused to give in to his advances. The actress said that she was compelled to leave the show since the number of misconduct incidents kept rising leaving behind her three months’ worth of wages in the process.
Jennifer accused Sohail and Jatin of misbehaving with her:
Jennifer has filed accusations not just against the producer but also against the project head (Sohail Ramani) and the executive producer (Jatin Bajaj). She complained about their unkind treatment of her in her lawsuit against them. In particular, Jennifer described an incident that occurred on March 8 during the Holi festival. She had asked for a half-day off for Holi because her daughter was so excited about the festival. Her plea was nonetheless rejected, even after she gave an alternate suggestion—a two-hour break. The actress alleged that after speaking up for herself, Sohail insulted her and repeatedly requested her to leave the scene. She further said that Jatin tried to stop her vehicle. Jennifer said that all of these instances were documented on CCTV. She claims Sohail Ramani has failed to provide her with the money she is owed. Jennifer said that her funds were purposefully withheld.
Following these occurrences, Jennifer issued registered letters to the appropriate government agencies as well as legal notices to Asit Modi, Sohail Ramani, and Jatin Bajaj.
Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah sets is a male-chauvinistic place:
Jennifer claims that it has been revealed that all performers involved in the production of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah are forced to perform bonded labor. She also noted that the environment on the set of the program is overwhelmingly male-chauvinistic because all of the male actors had convenient access to leave except for her.
Jennifer revealed Ghanashyam Nayak was harassed:
Jennifer further said that Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’s producers harassed late actor Ghanshyam Nayak, who originally played Nattu Kaka.
Mandar Chandwadkar’s reaction to Jennifer’s claim:
In response to Jennifer’s claims against Asit Modi, Mandar Chandwadkar, who plays Bhide, spoke to Pinkvilla about Jennifer’s claim. He said that he is wondering why Jennifer is accusing Asit Modi. He said, “It is not a male-chauvinistic place. The set is cheerful and has a good atmosphere; else, the show wouldn’t have continued for so long.”
Asit Modi, Sohail Rahmani, and Jatin Bajaj’s reaction to Jennifer’s allegations:
Modi decided to file a legal response to Jennifer’s notice after hearing her accusations since she was attempting to discredit both the show and him. Asit had said that Jennifer had started making unfounded claims ever after they had fired her. He stated that they have all the evidence to support their decision to fire Jennifer from the show, and he is not just speculating.
According to Sohal Ramani and Jatin Bajaj, Jennifer was rude to the entire cast of the show.
Malav Rajda reacts to the controversy:
Following the revelation, the film’s creators issued a statement. They described Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal as being unruly, unfocused, abusive and someone who frequently misbehaved with everyone on the sets. When asked about Jennifer’s behavior, Malav Rajda, the former director of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, described her as a nice girl who got along with everyone in all the departments and on the sets. Malav claimed that in his 14 years as a cast member, he had never witnessed Jennifer acting inappropriately or assaulting anyone on the sets. Additionally, he denied accusations that Jennifer lacked discipline or showed up to the sets late.
