He shouted at me as if I was a nobody… Jailoshini Naidoo
ATOP local entertainer was bullied off the stage by a Zee TV star while performing before thousands of fans last weekend.
Jailoshini Naidoo’s alter ego “Aunty Rumba” had the audience in hysterics with her usual antics when an “aggressive” Zee TV performer, Piyush Sahdev, allegedly interrupted her act.
Sahdev, who plays Lord Rama in the TV series Devon Ke Dev, mocked Naidoo’s performance and made loud screeching sounds as she tried to keep her act going.
He and other Zee stars were part of the entertainment for the Rising Sun Gold Circle Challenge, staged at Greyville racecourse.
Naidoo, who was forced to abandon her act, said she was considering taking legal action against Sahdev, who was in the country to perform at Zee endorsed events.
“I’ve always respected my fellow artists. Performance is about discipline. He shouted at me as if I was a nobody. If I did a similar thing to him, I’m sure he would not have taken kindly to it. Could I do that in India?” asked Naidoo.
The performer said she was tired of artists like Sahdev behaving as if they were gods, coming to our country and showing such disrespect for local artists.
“Who gave him this right and power? Do artists like him think they are better than us, more talented?”
Naidoo was warmly received by the crowd when she took to the stage.
“I knew the Zee stars were due to make an appearance at some point and I noticed them arrive in a drop-top car during my performance.
Naidoo said she believed the Zee performers were making their way to the backstage area when Sandhev unexpectedly appeared next to her with a mic in hand.
Naidoo tried to draw him into her act, but she was unable to do so because Sandhev was “in my face”.
“He screamed at the top of his voice, ‘who are you and why are you speaking like this?’,” claimed Naidoo.
Naidoo said Sandhev’s actions stunned her, but she tried to stay in character. “But he kept shutting me down with this high-pitched cackling sound every time I tried to speak. The audience was also stunned.”
Naidoo decided to leave the stage. “I was enraged by the incident. I could have slapped him, but I drew on every ounce of professionalism and restraint.”
Designer Haroun Hansrot, who was at Greyville judging a fashion event, said he had a ringside view of the incident.
“The Zee star was rude and sabotaged Jailoshini’s act. Initially I thought he was part of the act, but then I saw he was (very aggressive),” said Hansrot.
The designer said both he and Naidoo had worked with Bollywood stars before and they had been pleasant.
“Jailoshini is a respected performer, she didn’t deserve to be treated that way.”
Wendel Naidoo, who was a judge in the dance contest, said Sandhev seemed like he had an inflated ego.
“He didn’t respect Jailoshini as a performer. I was very disappointed with what I saw,” Naidoo said.
Despite repeated requests, Zee TV did not respond.