Last year, actor Paras Bhushan Kalnawat exited the daily soap Anupamaa. He recently took to Instagram to share the reason behind it. “Honestly speaking, 80% of the cast would want to exit if given an opportunity. Risk lene ki aur sahi ke liye ladne ki taqat har kisi mein nahin hoti,” he wrote.

Actor Aashish Mehrotra, who essays the role of Paritosh Shah in the show, says the claims made by his former co-star are untrue. He adds. “I don’t know what made him say that. It is his own choice. He’s like a younger brother to me. His statement sounds funny to me.”

The actor goes on to share that there is nothing wrong with the treatment given to the star cast: “If a show’s off-screen energy is negative, then it reflects in the show’s quality as well. The vibe on the set is good. The producers always consider the show their priority.”

The 33-year-old shares that working with a talented cast on the show has helped him hone his craft. “I have learnt a lot from Sudhanshu (Pandey) sir, Rupali (Ganguly) ma’am and director Romesh (Kalra) sir. They tell you how to improve,” he signs off.

Disagreeing with former co-star Paras Bhushan Kalnawat’s claim that “80% of the cast would want to exit if given an opportunity”, actor Nidhi Shah, who plays the role of Kinjal on the show, says, “In every office, everyone has their own point of view and complaints. Some agree with it, some don’t. This show is doing well for a reason — the cast is loving what they are doing. If someone wants to leave, nobody is begging them to stay. I don’t understand why he’s saying all these things when it’s not required.”

The 24-year-old continues, “If an individual gets an opportunity, which is more promising, anyone would go forward (with it). But, I don’t think there’s anyone on our set who is willing to leave. Nobody has any pressure over here (from the makers).”

Ask her if she has ever thought of exiting the show and Shah says, “No. Everyone is happy on the set. The atmosphere on the set is quite nice and everyone is happy in their own space. Why would anyone leave a show that is number one for the past three years?”