Palak Sindhwani accuses TMKOC producers of harassment, exploitation, non-payment: 'I would cry in...'

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah fame Palak Sindhwani, who plays Sonu Bhide in the show, has made serious allegations against the show’s producers. She recently announced her exit from the show due to harassment and mental trauma by producers.

This led to a legal dispute with Neela Film Productions. Tensions escalated when rumors circulated that the producers planned to issue a legal notice to her for supposedly working on other projects without permission.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Palak Sindhwani (@palaksindhwani)

Meanwhile, Palak rejected these claims and accused the producers of mistreatment and non-payment of Rs 21 lakh. While speaking to ETimes, she said, "They never discussed any exclusivity contract with me, but as soon as I expressed my desire to leave the show in August, the exploitation began. They likely thought I wouldn’t wait until May to leave, so they started treating me unfairly. The exploitation reached its peak when they accused me of breaching the contract. I was affected by the media reports, but I didn’t stay silent. I kept asking when I 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."

Palak Sindhwani stated that she requested a meeting to discuss her concerns, which took place on September 18. During the meeting, the producers accused her of breaching her contract for the first time, despite her only learning about it after announcing her exit from the show. She felt threatened when they claimed they could delete her Instagram account and block her from working with brands. 

The actress said, "I was still shooting for them, even while dealing with health issues and I had submitted my medical reports. I asked them to consider my condition and grant me some leave, but instead, they kept making me shoot for 12 hours straight, to the point that I couldn’t even meet anyone or respond to their legal notice because I was 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.”

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