Shilpa refuses to dance

Shilpa refuses to dance at the mega NRI show

Says the cheque she was given to perform for the shows bounced

Kunal M Shah

Shilpa Shetty pulled out at the last minute from the Diwali Dhamaka show featuring Sunny and Bobby Deol, Urmila Matondkar, and Tusshar Kapoor. Shilpa, known to be a through professional, pulled out of the show because she was not paid the amount due to her, and the cheque she was given bounced. The shows have been organised by NRI Dr D S Sandhu, and are supposed to be taking place currently in America and Canada.

Shetty says, "Yes, I have opted out of the show as I am only abiding by the clauses in the agreement. It is obvious that there must be a valid reason for one not to do a show, and to be very frank, I'm not even sure if the shows are taking place at all… I have only done what is ethical, after all the cheque that bounced was a huge amount. And since I don't like controversies, I don't wish to get into this any further. I have done hundreds of shows and no one can say that I have been unprofessional."

What about the dates she reserved for the show that have now gone to waste? "This has happened for the second time… earlier too, some shows were cancelled. Not only are our dates wasted, but our time and effort for the rehearsals as well. But I am a positive thinker and I have better things to do now. I have just signed Anil Sharma's film Apne and I am very excited about it. "

She finally says, "After doing films like Phir Milenge and Dus, I know people want to see more of me but I need to do films that justify my character. I am taking it easy and concentrating on doing quality stuff."

Apparently, even Priyanka Chopra has opted out of the same show for similar reasons, but she was unavailable for comments.