Friends in need indeed!

The story of Tujhko Hai Salaam Zindagi was altered to take care of Abhay Vakil’s  personal crisis

The television industry has a heart and this was validated recently when the cast and crew of Tujhko Hai Salaam Zindagi got together to help actor Abhay Vakil (Akash). Apparently, the actor who plays Akash, the love interest of Maanya (Pariva Pranati) in the show, didn’t show up for the shoot because of his dad’s illness and subsequent death.

Says Pariva,“We didn’t have a bank and had to shoot that day, but Akash couldn’t report to the shoot as his dad had developed complications because of a lung infection. When we heard of this, the creative team of the channel decided to change the script to accommodate his absence. By the time the story was altered it was late evening. But the whole cast decided unanimously that they would shoot through the night to bail Akash out. We finally packed up the next morning but it was all in good spirit.” Unfortunately, Abhay’s father succumbed to his illness.

“It was a sad day on the sets as nobody was in the mood to shoot. We knew his dad well because he would often drop in on the sets. But work had to go on. We couldn’t attend the funeral because we were shooting. We all went and and offered our condolences to Abhay after that. Of course, Abhay is distressed but in control. He will be joining us within a week” she says.

The original story had the young cadets losing their way in a jungle where they are camping. Akash and Pariva were supposed to be on their own, away from the rest of the team.  However, now the episode has been altered to show Akash missing from the group—perhaps, even killed by a leopard—till he’s back to join the shoot.

Didn’t the change at the last minute lead to an added burden? “There aren’t any negative feelings. We told ourselves that shows would come and go, but we must stand by each other in face of such adversities. Credit is due to the creative team of the channel too who didn’t decide to replace him but altered the script to help him out,” Pariva signs off.