Amid rumours that Sushant Singh's participation in anti-CAA protest led to ouster from Savdhaan India, sources at Star say the decision has nothing to do with his stand on the issue
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; December 18, 2019)

Twitterverse expressed its disappointment yesterday as another episode indicated that there was no room for dissent in the country. Sushant Singh, who has been the face of Savdhaan India for several years, suggested that his participation in the students' rally at Mumbai University to condemn the police crackdown on Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, had led to his ouster from the TV show. However, when mid-day investigated further, it was discovered that Singh was informed well in advance that his contract expires on January 15.

When Singh announced his exit from the show yesterday, a social media user asked whether it was the "price" he paid for "speaking the truth". He replied, "A very small price my friend (sic)," thus alluding that his anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) stand had influenced the suits at Star Bharat to arrive at the decision.

However, a source from the channel says, "Sushant knew that his contract expires on January 15. He has completed the shoot of this season's episodes. So, his tweet came as a surprise to us. There is no correlation between the protest and his exit." Over the past fortnight, there has been news of the show undergoing a revamp. "We are likely to bring in a new host," says the source, adding that Singh has not been responding to their calls since he posted the tweet. The channel officials are planning to take legal action against him for seeking mileage from the students' agitation. They are likely to release an official statement today.