Actor-comedian and CINTAA General Secretary Upasana Singh has come out in support of actor Shilpa Shinde amid the backlash over the actor’s admission that the sexual harassment allegations she levelled against Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai! producer Sanjay Kohli nearly nine years ago were false.

“Shilpa herself has admitted that she made a mistake. She is not saying she did the right thing. I don’t support filing a false sexual harassment case at all. But we should not look at only one side of the story. We should also try to understand the circumstances and state of mind in which a person takes a decision,” she says.

Having worked with Shilpa on three television shows, the 50-year-old describes her as a compassionate person who was always willing to help colleagues in need. “Shilpa is a kind-hearted person. I am not saying she did the right thing. I am only saying that a person’s circumstances often influence the decisions they make,” she adds.

Addressing the calls for action against Shilpa, Upasana points out that Kohli (producer) and the makers eventually chose to work with the actor again. “The producers have every right to decide how they want to respond. They worked with her again. If they had so much anger and resentment towards her, they would never have worked with her again. If the producers can forgive her and move forward, who are we to decide otherwise?” she says.

At the same time, the actor-comedian acknowledges that Shilpa’s admission could have wider consequences: “People may now start questioning other cases as well, and that is unfortunate. There is no doubt that Shilpa made a mistake. No human being should do something like this.”