There was no move afoot to sack Shilpa Shetty as judge on the dance reality show Super Dancer. In fact, sources from the show say she was always “much valued” on the show.
A source from the show’s core team informs this writer, “Shilpa was very much on board. There was no plan of asking her to leave. It was her choice to stay away from shooting after whatever happened (Shetty’s husband was arrested on July 19). When she informed us that she won’t be coming we made alternative arrangements. It was up to her to return whenever she thought was the right time. And now we’re happy to have her back.”
Sources say Shilpa Shetty was waiting for the controversy to ebb if not die down before making a public appearance. Her only pre-condition for returning was, “No controversial questions.”
Super Dancer Chapter 4, in Shilpa's absence, roped in Karima Kapoor, Sonali Bendre, and Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh as guest judges. One episode was dedicated to 75 dance forms too.
As soon as Shilpa was back on the sets of the dance show, she was seen having a gala time with co-judges Geeta Kapoor and Anurag Basu. She also gave quite a few contestants her trademark seedhi ovation.
Image source: SpotboyE archive