'No producer is bigger than the actor': Shailesh Lodha indirectly blames producer Asit Modi for leaving TMKOC

Shailesh Lodha, who played the titular character of Taarak Mehta in the popular sitcom Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah for fourteen years, was replaced by Sachin Shroff in September 2022. Shailesh didn't reveal the reason why he opted to leave the show last year and at a recent event, took an indirect jibe at the producer Asit Kumarr Modi blaming him for his decision.

Speaking at an Aaj Tak event, Shailesh said in Hindi, "In this country, publishers wear a diamond ring, and a writer, who wants to get his book published, has to shell out money. If people, who earn from the talent of other people, start considering themselves over and above the talented people, then a talented person should raise their voices. Maybe I am one of those talented people who has raised his voice."

"A person fending off talented people cannot be bigger than those who are talented. No publisher is bigger than the writer, no producer is bigger than the actor. They are just businessmen. Every time a businessman tries to overpower the poet or the actor in me, I will oppose strongly", the actor-poet concluded in Hindi.

Apart from Lodha, Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah, abbreviated as TMKOC, has seen multiple actors quitting the show over the past few years such as Gurucharan Singh, Neha Mehta, Disha Vakani, Nidhi Bhanushali, and most recently Raj Anadkat. Dilip Joshi, Munmun Dutta, and Amit Bhatt have remained constant in the show as Jethalal, Babita, and Jayantilal since 2008.

Set in Mumbai's Gokuldham Society, TMKOC is based on the weekly column Duniya Ne Undha Chasma, written by the late Indian columnist, humourist, and playwright Taarak Mehta. Created by Asit Kumarr Modi and produced by Neela Film Productions Private Limited, the sitcom is running in its 15th year with over 3,700 episodes.

READ | Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah actress Ambika Ranjankar aka Komal Hathi looks unrecognisable in throwback photo