‘Shilpa Shirodkar shot dead’: Actor recalls rumours that made her parents panic during film shoot

Shilpa Shirodkar opened up about the time there were headlines on a newspaper about her death. She was later informed this was part of a film's promotion.

Actor Shilpa Shirodkar opened up about a strange incident during her early years in the industry. Shilpa, who had a successful run with several hits in the early 90s in Hindi cinema, was once presumed dead. Rumours even made it to the headlines of a newspaper, sending shockwaves in her family. In an interview with Pinkvilla, Shilpa shared that she was shooting for the film Raghuveer when this incident happened.

Shilpa Shirodkar recalls being called panauti after her films failed.

What Shilpa said

During the interaction, Shilpa shared, “I was in Kullu Manali. My dad was trying to call the hotel because we didn’t have mobile phones at that time. I was shooting with Suniel Shetty there. Everyone who was watching the shoot there kept thinking if this is Shilpa or someone else because they knew the news. The people who were seeing the shoot were confused whether it was really me because they knew the news.”

What happened next

She went on to add, “So, when I came back to the room, there were around 20-25 missed calls from my father. My parents were worried; there was a headline in a newspaper that read, ‘Shilpa Shirodkar was shot dead.’ Then I was told it was for a film's promotion, I was like 'Okay'. Yes, thoda zyada hogaya (This went too far). There was no PR activity or anything at that time. Kuch pata hi nahi tha na (I was not aware of anything). I was the last one to know that something like this was going to happen. No one used to take permission at that time. The film worked well, so I wasn't really angry.”

Raghuveer, directed by K Pappu, was released in 1995. Apart from Shilpa, the film also starred Suniel Shetty, Sudha Chandran, and Suresh Oberoi. With a gross of over ₹6 crore worldwide, it was a moderate success at the box office.

About Shilpa Shirodkar

Shilpa made her acting debut in Ramesh Sippy’s Bhrashtachar in 1989, starring alongside Mithun Chakraborty and Rekha, where she portrayed a blind girl. She went on to act in films like Khuda Gawah, Aankhen, Pehchaan, Gopi Kishan, Bewafa Sanam, and Mrityudand. Shilpa was last seen on the big screen in the 2000 film, Gajagamini. After 2013, she moved to television, appearing in a handful of shows. In 2024, she participated in Bigg Boss 18, hosted by Salman Khan.