Shivangi recalls childhood horror: TV actress alleges abuse by ‘mama ji’

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress Shivangi Joshi, who is currently seen in Lock Upp season 2, got emotional as she spoke about one of the most difficult phases of childhood. After Pamala Sarena decided to sacrifice Shivangi Joshi's pen drive during the nomination task, the keyword "bread butter" appeared on the screen as her secret. Shivangi opened up about a painful incident from her childhood. During the episode, the actress alleged that she was sexually abused by a man she referred to as her "mama ji." The Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress revealed her first secret and spoke about her tough childhood and shared that her family faced major financial problems. Shivangi shared that her father's transport business suffered major losses and she started supporting her family financially since a very young age. Shivangi spoke about facing molestation during her childhood She then revealed that she had also experienced molestation during her childhood. She said, "Aur ek aur cheez main bolna chahungi aap sab se..." She said she had never planned to reveal this painful secret, but Harshad Chopda and Ram Kapoor gave her the courage and strength to finally speak about it. Shivangi then confessed, "I was also molested when I was a kid." She claimed that the person she accused was her mother's rakhi brother, whom she called her "mama ji. " She said, "He was a very reputed man." Shivangi recalled that the incident took place when she was planning to shift to Mumbai to follow her acting dream. She claimed the man would tell her, "Main Mumbai jaa rahi thi actor banne toh unhone uska bahot faida uthaya. Mummy bhi unpar bahot bharosa karrti thi. Bombay jaa rahe ho actor banna hai toh acting wali gaadi chalani bhi aani chahiye. Toh who mujhe bolte the, tum aage waali seat par baith jao, aur steering pakdo. Tumhe aajayega kaise chalata hain. Main baithti thi par after a point mujhe kuch accha nahi lagta tha." Shivangi broke down as she shared that she finally said no to the driving lessons because they made her uncomfortable. "Phir do-teen baad maine unko bol diya nahi maamaji mujhe nahi sikhni gaadi," she said. Shivangi further recalled that one night, the man allegedly came to her house when her parents were not at home. She revealed, "Woh mujhe samjhane lage ki, 'Bacche, aap Bombay ja rahe ho... aisa aisa hota hai acting mein hota hai.' Suddenly woh mujhe paas bula ke pakadne lage. Pehle toh unhone mujhe bola ki actor bante hain toh iss Tarah uss Tarah ke scenes bhi karte hain, aap prepared hone chahiye. Phir unhone mujhe bola jaise aapko mumma forehead par kiss karti hai, waise aapko shooting mein bhi karenge. Phir unhone who karke dikhaya." According to Shivangi, when she tried to stop him and pushed him away, he became furious and allegedly pushed her to the floor. "Then he kissed me on my cheeks. Aur mujhe bahot ajeeb lagne laga, he wanted to kiss me on my lips and I said, Maama ji ganda lag raha hai mat karo. Mera haanth unke muh par lag gaya. He got so angry ke unhone mujhe zameen par phek diya." The actress said things could have become much worse if her parents had not returned home at the right time. "Thankfully kuch nahi hua kyunki mere mummy-papa time pe aa gaye the aur unhone bahut maara aur ghar se nikal diya," she shared. She added that the incident left her deeply traumatised. She stopped going to school for a long time and stayed at home. Shivangi said the experience is also why her parents have always been very protective of her.