Sidharth Shukla used to abuse Rashami Desai and Jasmin Bhasin on set, claims Dil Se Dil Tak co-actor | Television News
4 min readNew DelhiFeb 19, 2026 04:08 PM IST
Television actor Vaishnavi Macdonald has spoken about her experience working with late actor Sidharth Shukla on Dil Se Dil Tak, claiming that he was often verbally abusive towards co-stars Rashami Desai and Jasmin Bhasin. Vaishanvi played Sidharth’s mother on the daily soap.
In an interview with Sidharth Kanan, Vaishnavi recalled her first interaction with Sidharth, describing him as someone who initially came across as deeply curious and intellectual. “On the first day of the shoot, he came up to me and asked why my name was Vaishnavi Macdonald. He wanted to know everything,” she said.
‘Sidharth Shukla was not as portrayed on Bigg Boss’
However, she contrasted her personal experience on set with the public perception shaped later during Bigg Boss.
“Frankly speaking, the image that was shown during Bigg Boss was very different from what I saw earlier. He was portrayed as nice and sweet, especially in his equation with Shehnaaz Gill, and the narrative shifted in that direction. But on set, there were issues involving Rashami,” she said.
Vaishnavi stated that she never saw Rashami misbehave during the shoot. “I’m not saying Rashami is perfect, but she was a very nice person to work with. She got along with everyone on set. I never saw her abuse anyone,” she added.
‘Sidharth Shukla used to abuse Rashami Desai and Jasmine Bhasin’
Vaishnavi Macdonald claimed that Sidharth Shukla, on the other hand, often used harsh language. “He used very abusive language. During Bigg Boss, Rashami Desai was projected as the troublemaker, but on set he was not respectful towards both Rashami and Jasmin,” she said.
“Sometimes he would be friendly with one and then gang up against the other. There was ragging on set. Offensive words were used for Rashami and Jasmin in front of everyone,” she said.
Vaishnavi admitted she now feels she should have spoken up. “As a woman, I should have taken a stand, but they would laugh it off, so perhaps I didn’t intervene. If they had asked him to stop, maybe I would have stepped in too. Abusive words were used, which I cannot mention right now,” she said.
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‘Sidharth Shukla was asked to leave the show’
Vaishnavi Macdonald also recalled an intervention by producer Sheetal of the production house Shashi Sumeet Productions. “Sheetal ji once called everyone and told him (Sidharth Shukla) that things had gone too far and asked him to leave. He was also told that he would come late to the set and people had to wait for hours,” she said, adding that he later returned because the channel wanted him.
Vaishnavi clarified that she personally never had a conflict with Sidharth. She described an early moment during filming when he commented on her performance. “It was our first scene together where I played his mother. After his close-up and mine, he pointed out things like something in my eye or that I was going too fast. I had to tell him that the director was there to guide me,” she recalled.
She added that while she occasionally saw Rashami Desai upset in private, it was not something she witnessed openly on set. “I saw Rashami cry sometimes in the room, but not on the set,” she said, noting that Jasmin, usually strong-willed, also appeared subdued in his presence.
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Sidharth Shukla and Rashami Desai’s tiff
Actors Rashami Desai and Sidharth Shukla were loved for their chemistry in the television show Dil Se Dil Tak but off-screen, the equation between the two was far from cordial. Their differences became even more visible later during Bigg Boss 13, where their frequent clashes made headlines — at one point even leading to a heated moment where Rashami threw tea at Sidharth. Even Salman Khan often discussed their fights over Weekend Ka Vaar.
Sidharth Shukla died on September 2, 2021 at the age of 40.
