An old interview clip of actor Shehnaaz Gill has surfaced on social media and is now grabbing widespread attention. The video has sparked a debate online, with several social media users criticising her remarks, which many felt seemed to justify and romanticise cheating in a relationship.
Shehnaaz on relationships
In the podcast interview, which she did three months back with Mirchi Punjabi, Shehnaaz is seen talking about relationships in modern times, where she brings up the topic of infidelity.
“Karne do jo woh karta hai. Agar woh bahar bhi jaana chahta hai… Aajkal zyada risthe bahar GF hoti hai isliye chodh diya sunte hain hum. It’s okay banane do usko girlfriends. Kitni der? Allow kardo usko… Thodhi der allow kardo usko (Let him do what he wants. If he wants to go out as well… These days we often hear that relationships end because there’s a girlfriend outside. It’s okay, let him have girlfriends. For how long anyway? Allow him… Allow him for a while),” Shehnaaz said in the video.
She added, “Kar tujhe jo karna hai woh kar. Woh itna zyada hurt ho jaayega, ek din itna zyada feel karega ke ‘yaar maina kya kiya. Main isko dhokha de raha tha’. Kyunki ek human nature jo hai na, chahe shaitaan ho, uske andar dil zaror hota hai. Har ek insaan ko jeene ka haq hai. Usko thodhi der jeeke dekhne do apni life. Chal main tere saath hun tu jee le apni zindagi… Lets see kya hota hai (Let him do whatever he wants to do. He will be so hurt one day, he’ll feel deeply and think, ‘What have I done? I was betraying her.’ Because it’s human nature, no matter how bad someone is, they still have a heart. Every person has the right to live. Let him live his life for a while. Go on, I’m with you, live your life… let’s see what happens then).”
Shehnaaz’s remark sparks backlash
The clip hasn’t gone down well with a section of social media users, many of whom have criticised Shehnaaz’s remarks. Several social media users accused her of appearing to normalise or romanticise cheating.
“Mind u this being the same lady who said women smoking is the reason for divorces and is here justifying cheating. some women have so much internalized misogyny that they become even more pathetic than men and thats the worst thing ever,” one mentioned, with another writing, “We got women justify and romanticize cheating in this big 2026 #shehnaazgill upgrade yourself fgs.”
One mentioned, “I’ve always been neutral abt this girl cuz idk her that much but damn shehnaaz gill are you dumb?”, with one sharing, “the way she never fails to embarrass herself”. One wrote, “Stop normalising cheating”.
“This is giving me second hand embarrassment,” one wrote, with one mentioning, “She’s saying normalise cheating. I wonder how these ppls thinking works.”
“What is she on,” one posted. Another social media user wrote, “Not agreeing with her pov on open relationship, but it’s her choice.. pseudo feminist will still take it personally.”
“Does she she wanted to say that forget your self respect and become doormat in relationship. Girl just wake up life is not a movie or a TV serial where girl/boy runs back to og love interest even after his/her thousand mistakes,” one wrote.
Another comment read, “Now i don’t know how to defend her on this one i wish she get some mature brain set too with her pretty face and body…like she always just says like any thing and most of the time makes no sense… and this coming from her fan from bb13.”
“Lies i tell to myself to accept his cheating behaviour… shehnaz gill edition,” one wrote, with one writing, “Is she serious ffs? I am happy that people don’t take them seriously anymore.” “Such a cringe dumb thing to say,” one wrote.
There were some who defended her. One wrote, “Not sure u understood but she is not justifying or romanticising cheating, she is saying let him exp the pain, let him realise how wrong he was , don’t protect your man, let his heart get broken then he will realise your worth.”
“Stop interpreting everything according to your convenience and throwing her under the bus just bcz you suddenly decide to dislike a certain choice of hers? Why this sudden interest in this interview?? SeLeCtIvE sTaNdArDs much,” one mentioned.
“Stop trying to be cool by degrading other women, it’s her freaking choice which sadly kids with no real experience of relationships should not comment upon,” one pointed out. One wrote, “From being extremely possessive to let go cheating, her mindset has shifted drastically. May be she has given up on true love and loyalty. When I watched it few months back,I was worried her haters would make the clip go viral and mock her but instead her own fan did it Bravo.”
Shehnaaz’s work front
Shehnaaz initially rose to fame in the Punjabi entertainment industry before gaining widespread recognition for her appearance on Bigg Boss 13 and her closeness with late actor Sidharth Shukla. She transitioned to Bollywood with her debut in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, alongside Salman Khan, Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh Daggubati, and Bhumika Chawla in 2013.
She also featured in Thank You For Coming, featuring Bhumi Pednekar, Dolly Singh, Kusha Kapila, and Shibani Bedi, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). She also appeared in the music video for the song Sajna Ve Sajna from the 2024 film Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, which starred Triptii Dimri and Rajkummar Rao. She was last seen in Ikk Kudi.
