Saanand Verma calls Gulshan Grover ‘self‑obsessed’ after an unscripted, slap on set left him shocked

During the shoot of First Copy, actor Saanand Verma accused Gulshan Grover of delivering an unannounced slap, which he deemed unfair

Actor Saanand Verma, widely recognised as Saxena Ji from the popular television show Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain (BJGPH), recently alleged that Gulshan Grover slapped him forcefully while they were shooting for the web series First Copy, which stars Munawar Faruqui.

Gulshan Grover and Saanand Verma

Saanand claimed the slap was deliberate and not an “acting wala thappad”. Although he was extremely angered by the incident, he chose to remain silent at the time, saying he preferred to avoid negativity. He also referred to Grover as a “self-obsessed” individual.

When Gulshan Grover slapped Saanand Verma

Sharing about the incident, Saanand revealed, “Gulshan Grover actually slapped me tightly in First Copy, for real. Inside, I felt like slitting that man’s throat, but I didn’t say anything." He further added in an interview with Siddharth Kannan: "I’ve never spoken about it till now—I’m sharing this for the first time here. He did it intentionally, that was not acting.”

Saanand also mentioned that, Gulshan did not give him any warning before hitting him; otherwise, he would have mentally prepared himself for a real slap. He emphasised that it is important to inform a co-actor beforehand if a genuine slap is required so they are ready for it, but in this case, Gulshan did not, which he believes was unfair. He admitted that in the moment, he felt like picking up a chair and hitting him back, but he continued to smile through the scene.

He said he has built a reputation for being someone who takes slaps on screen, and even on Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain, he has been slapped multiple times—though always in a professional and controlled manner.

The actor concluded, how Anil Kapoor has the courtesy to apologise after slapping, but not Gulshan. "He is a self obsessed man. He is tied to an image of being a bad man. He does all this to maintain that image." he ends.