Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; July 17, 2015)

Rumour mills had been buzzing about Shahid Kapoor, who made his TV debut last week as a reality show judge, demanding to host an episode of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. However, sources close to the actor have revealed that the responsibility was, in fact, thrust on him at the last minute as part of a “surprise gig” on the show.

A source says, “Shahid is taking his small screen job seriously. He likes to go through all scripts and oversee arrangements personally. While shooting earlier this week, he was asked by the creative team to host the show all of a sudden. He was simply handed the script and told that it was for a surprise gig. However, he was sporting enough to go ahead with their plan.” Consequently, the regular host of the show, Manish Paul, was given a day’s rest.

A source from the channel says, “It was preplanned. We will show Manish getting kidnapped in the episode and Shahid will fill in for him. This is just to add a fun element to the show. Some parts of that particular episode have also been hosted by the other two judges, Karan Johar and Ganesh Hegde.”

While Shahid was not available for comment, the channel spokesperson says, “There was no demand ( by Shahid) or any publicity stunt (by the channel).”