For Laapataa Ladies actor Satendra Soni, the last few days have been anything but ordinary. After facing a frightening situation in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, the actor has now safely returned to Mumbai along with his colleagues Shridhar Dubey and Pankaj Sharma. Soon after landing, the three recorded a video message to let everyone know they were safe and to thank the many people who helped them during what they described as one of the most difficult experiences of their lives.
He also thanked former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Hemant Pandey, Amit Rai, Parag Chapekar, journalist Anil Sharda, and several others who reached out to help. Soni also expressed gratitude to fellow artists and family members, including Annapurna Soni, Durgesh Soni and Raksha, for constantly checking on them and offering reassurance.
He further said, “Aur hum bahut hile hue the maansik roop se. Wahan par bahut zaroori tha ki haan ki humse koi baat kare ya humein kam se kam protsahan deta rahe. Amit Rai sir hamare unhone bahut support kiya. Parag Chapekar sir ne bahut support kiya. Anil Sharda ji jo journalist hain unhone bahut support kiya aur hamare rangmanch ke kalakaar ho chahe Annapurna Soni ho, chahe Durgesh Soni ho, Raksha ho, chahe humein bahut saare phone call aate rahe, baatchit hoti rahi jinhone humein matlab banaye rakha ki kuch bhi nahi hoga. (We were deeply shaken mentally. It was crucial at that time for someone to talk to us or at least keep offering encouragement. Amit Rai Sir and Parag Chapekar Sir provided immense support. Anil Sharda ji—a journalist—was very supportive, as were our fellow theatre artists like Annapurna Soni, Durgesh Soni, and Raksha; we kept receiving numerous phone calls and maintained a dialogue that kept us going, reassuring us that nothing bad would happen).”
Then, the actor went onto say, “Kyunki humein laga ki hum Maihar mein akele hain. Par bilkul bhi humein akelapan mehsoos nahi hone diya. Hamare jinko jaise-jaise jaankari milti gayi wo log humein apna support dete rahe. Abhi hum log ne yeh video isliye bana rahe hain kyunki bahut log ghabra rahe hain ki shayad hum hamari stithi iss samay kaisi hai. To hum wahi batana chahte hain kyunki abhi toh hum chup rahe the. Badi mushkilon se yahan tak pahunche hain. Aaj hum log pahunch paaye hain. Abhi hum log jaise hi Mumbai utre hain sabse pehle video banakar daal rahe hain. Aap sabhi ka aabhar shukriya ada kar rahe hain. Hum surakshit hain. (Because we felt that we were alone in Maihar. But we were not allowed to feel lonely at all. As our people got information, they kept giving us their support. Now we are making this video because many people are wondering what our situation is at this time. So we want to tell the same because till now we were hiding. We have reached here with great difficulties. Today we have reached. Now as soon as we have landed in Mumbai, we are making videos and posting them first. I’m grateful to all of you. We’re safe).”
As the situation worsened, the team sought help from the local police. The Maihar police, including the SHO and SP, stepped in and helped ensure their safe exit from the town.
In a video shared on Saturday evening, Satendra Soni broke down in tears as he alleged that the filmmaker refused to pay his dues and threatened him when he asked for the remaining payment. “My name is Satendra Soni. I am an actor. I came to Maihar to shoot for the film Pedh Palkhi, directed by Pushpendra Ji. He paid me a signing amount of ₹ 50,000 and told me the remaining payment would be made after the shoot. We completed eight days of filming, and when I asked him about my payment, he told me to pack up and leave. He said, ‘I better not see you in the hotel.’ He is threatening to kill me,” he said.
