India’s longest running sitcom, ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’ has been in the news lately on the return of Disha Vakani aka Dayaben to the show. While Disha is still not sure whether to return to the show, which made her a famous household name, or not, director Asit Kumarr Modi has decided to go ahead and replace her.
Modi said that the team will not wait any longer and the show must go on. Talking to Bombay Times, Modi said, “I will have to start looking for a new Dayaben. No one is bigger than the show. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah will go on with a new face because the family is incomplete without Dayaben.”
He said, “So many working women in the country get pregnant, go on a maternity break, have babies and resume their jobs. Today, women continue to work even after having babies. We have given Disha leave, but we cannot wait forever. Having said that, replacing an actress is not an overnight process. The track has to be planned months in advance. Right now, we have started the initial process of auditioning for the character. We are still not sure what will happen in the future, but I would like to reiterate that the show must go on.”
Talking about the ultimatum given to Disha to clear the air about her return, Modi had said, “We have cooperated a lot due to her [Disha] pregnancy but now it’s been a huge sabbatical. If she returns, we are more than happy to have her back but she needs to make a decision soon. If she cannot return due to her ‘family issues’, we will have to replace her, for the audience who have waiting for Daya’s return.”
“There is no such one-month ultimatum thing but of course, we cannot wait longer. She needs to inform us as soon as possible for us to take a final call”, Modi added.