'We miss Shilpa Shetty': Anurag Basu opens up on 'Super Dancer 4' co-judge's absence from show amid Raj Kundra's arrest

Ever since the arrest of Bollywood actress and reality television show 'Super Dancer 4' judge Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra, the diva has been missing in action from the dance reality show. 

With Shilpa going off from her jury duty, the showrunners have been inviting celebrity guest judges to make up for her absence on the show. So far, several stars including Karisma Kapoor, Sonali Bendre, Moushumi Chatterji, Malaika Arora have appeared on the show.

In the meantime, while no one spoke about Shilpa Shetty's absence from 'Super Dancer 4' since the last time she appeared on it over a month ago, recently, filmmaker and Shilpa's co-judge Anurag Basu told Hindustan Times in an interview that everyone misses her a lot on the sets. 

Anurag Basu told Hindustan Times, "We miss Shilpa a lot on set. There's a bonding between all of us, who're a part of the show, and which also includes people behind the scene and the choreographers. We're a small family and when one person isn't around, then bahut mushkil hota hai. Shilpa is dear to us."

He further said that he has no clue about Shilpa’s comeback. “I have no clue. I had sent her a message asking, ‘When are you coming back’, but I got no reply, so I don’t know when she will be back. I can’t say. I don’t know what’s happening. Let’s hope (she returns) soon. I’m just looking forward,” he added.

About Shilpa's return on the show, Anurag said, "I have no clue. I had sent her a message asking, 'When are you coming back', but I got no reply, so I don't know when she will be back. I can't say. I don't know what's happening. Let's hope (she returns) soon. I'm just looking forward."

For the unversed, Shilpa Shetty's husband Raj Kundra was arrested last month by the Mumbai Crime Branch on July 19 in a pornography racket. Ever since Shilpa has been keeping herself away from making public appearances and refraining from posting actively on social media. 

Meanwhile, Shilpa on Sunday (August 15) made her first virtual appearance since Raj's arrest. The 'Hungama 2' actress made a virtual public appearance for 'We For India: Saving Lives, Protecting Livelihoods', a global digital broadcast expected to raise over Rs 25 Crores for COVID-19 relief in India, organised by The World We Want (WWW), founded by Natasha Mudhar. In her segment, Shilpa spoke about how important it is for oxygen to reach the brain cells properly and also demonstrated breathing exercises. As per a News18 report, she was quoted as saying, “We are living in a time when everything is dependent on breathing. It is through breathing we can protect our entire system. If your nasal passage is clear, oxygen can reach brain cells easily which will lead to better immunity."

Talking about positivity and how to overcome negative emotions, Shilpa said, "It is natural to have negative thoughts during tough times but to control those emotions, it is important to control your breath. This is why to remain positive and improve your breathing, 'pranayam' has become more important."

Shilpa Shetty also extended wishes to her fans on the occasion of Independence Day. The actress shared a video of the rotating chakra with the national flag and wrote, “Wishing all my fellow Indians around the world a very Happy Independence Day."