Shagufta Ali: Rohit Shetty, 'Dance Deewane' team offer help
Veteran television and film star Shagufta Ali has received help from various industry insiders after speaking of her financial crunch in an interview recently. Reportedly, filmmaker/producer Rohit Shetty has "donated a generous amount," and help has come from comedian Johnny Lever and actress Madhumalti Kapoor, among others. She was also invited to Dance Deewane 3 reality show where Madhuri Dixit handed her a check.
Filmmaker/Producer Ashoke Pandit, who is also the president of the Indian Film & Television Directors' Association's (IFTDA) told a portal that he had reached out to the Saans actress after coming to know about her plight. "I spoke to Rohit Shetty who immediately agreed to help. He has donated a generous amount, and we are really thankful to him for that," he confirmed.
Pandit said he was reaching out to others, too, and the response has been positive. Noting she was "very, very obliged," Ali spoke about how she never met Shetty, and yet "he went all out and did something like this. I am absolutely grateful." Subsequently, the 54-year-old told media that senior actress Kapoor, actors Shashank Sethi and Shivin Narang, and Lever offered help, too.
Ali, who has worked 36 years in the industry, was invited to Dance Deewane 3 to narrate her tale. In a preview clip posted by Colors TV's Instagram handle Dixit, one of the show's judges, can be seen handing her a check of Rs. 5 lakh on behalf of the program. Shetty, Anil Kapoor, and Farhan Akhtar also appeared as guests on the show.
Earlier, the Bepannah actress revealed she wasn't getting proper work for the last four years. She was making ends meet by selling her car, jewelry, and other assets, and only spoke out now as she had nothing else to sell. And, the pandemic just made things worse. The cancer survivor was diagnosed with diabetes six years back and has multiple eye-related and foot-related complications.
