A controversy that began on Lock Upp 2 has now spilled over to another reality show. In the latest episode of Alliance, actor Kushal Tandon responded to Shreya Kalra's allegation that he had messaged her while he was reportedly dating Shivangi Joshi, presenting his side of the story.
The discussion started when contestant Kashish Kapoor referred to Shreya's comments from Lock Upp 2 and asked Kushal about claims that he had flirted with her through direct messages while allegedly being in a relationship with Shivangi.
Initially appearing confused, Kushal responded, "Who is Shreya? First of all."
After Kashish reminded him that Shreya had appeared in a cameo for his show Barsaatein – Mausam Pyaar Ka, Kushal recalled the incident.
"Shreya Kalra? We were shooting a promo for our show, and Shreya was promised it would feature me. But it turned out to be just a passing shot of hers," he said.
Rejecting Shreya's claims, Kushal maintained that she was the one who contacted him first.
"She texted me first, of course. I don't DM girls. I have too much ego to DM girls myself. I only DM firangs (foreigners). Baatein to meri bohot hoti hain, aur hoti rehni chahiye (I talk to them a lot, and I should keep doing it)," he said.
He further claimed that Shreya had told him she accepted the promo because she wanted to work with him.
"Having said that, she said, 'Aap promo kar rahe hain (you are doing this promo), and I want to work with you.' So I told her she shouldn't have done it because it looked very stupid. Tum aur bhi accha kar sakti ho than doing this (You could do much better than this)," Kushal added.
Kushal's remarks come shortly after Shreya discussed the incident on Lock Upp 2. She alleged that he messaged her after the promo shoot at a time when he and Shivangi Joshi were reportedly involved.
"He DM'd me after the shoot. I was dating at that time. There was something between Kushal Tandon and Shivangi Joshi then. I didn't know about it. He started speaking to me. I got a hunch and stopped," Shreya had said.
She also claimed that she later spoke to Shivangi about the matter when they met on another set.
"Shivangi and I met on the set, and she was like, 'He told me about you, that you followed and messaged him.' I said, 'Excuse me.' I wouldn't be the first person to approach any man. I've never done that in my entire life. I gave my phone to her. She read my whole chat. I didn't flirt back, and I didn't say anything," Shreya said.
Alliance premiered on June 26 and streams daily on Prime Video with Kunal Kemmu as host. Lock Upp 2, hosted by Riteish Deshmukh and Farah Khan, premiered on Netflix on June 27. Shreya's comments on one reality show and Kushal's response on another have now connected the two series.
