3 min readNew DelhiFeb 26, 2026 02:53 PM ISTShaily Mehrotra and Anupam Mittal on Shark Tank India 5. (Photo: File photo)Shaily Mehrotra, the newest shark on Shark Tank India, walked onto the show amid rumours that the original judges tend to bully newcomers and dominate conversations. The so-called “OG sharks” include Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, Peyush Bansal and Vineeta Singh. Peyush, however, is not a part of the panel this year. However, Shaily decided to address the chatter head-on before filming began. Speaking to Nitin Joshi on his podcast, the founder of Fixderma said, “When I joined, there was a lot of pressure. I feared whether or not they would let me speak.”Recalling her early days on the show, she added, “All of us were staying in the same hotel when one of the sharks told me that the OG sharks bully newcomers a lot. They don’t let them speak.”Instead of waiting to see how things would unfold, Shaily chose to confront the panel directly before the shoot began. “When I met all of them, I told them beforehand that one of you told me that you all bully newcomers and don’t let them speak. They were stunned. They were like, ‘This is bad. You think we are capable of doing that?’ I said, how would I know? I’ll only know later. But I think they understood this, and it worked for me. In every pitch, Anupam would turn towards me and say, ‘Ab aap bolo!’ So that felt nice. They were nice to me. It was super entertaining — I have laughed the most on this show. It was also super tiring. We would shoot for 12–13 hours at a stretch.”ALSO READ | ‘Did we put it or not?’: Sriram Raghavan gives an ‘Andhadhun’ reply to Ikkis Pakistan disclaimer row, admits he wasn’t ‘personally happy’When asked to rate the sharks on their sharpness and intelligence, Shaily responded thoughtfully. “I will not give them points for being sharp sharks. They have been on the show for five seasons — it’s like their second home. They have heard so many pitches and invested in over 100 startups each. How do I compare myself with them? You slowly learn the trick. It’s easy to compare, but we often forget that their journey has been longer than ours.”Earlier, in a conversation with ANI, she spoke about sharing the panel with Namita Thapar, Anupam Mittal, Aman Gupta and Kunal Bahl. “Being part of a panel with such diverse operating experience is invaluable. The discussions reinforced how much stronger investment decisions become when driven by collective insight,” she said.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Shark Tank India