After Anupamaa actors Nidhi Shah and Aashish Mehrotra laughed off former co-star Paras Bhushan Kalnawat’s claims that “80% of the cast would want to exit [the TV show] if given an opportunity” in a recent interview with HT City, the latter has decided to set the record straight. “I wrote about having a bad experience on the set of Anupamaa, because of which I left the show. So, there was no need for them to comment on what I think and what I feel,” Kalnawat says.

Speaking about the “chaotic environment” on set, he says, “There would be fights among actors, with them screaming at one another. And everyone, including me, would get dragged into it. It was an ugly rat race and ego clash, where no actor could see others doing better than them. Instead of supporting each other, they were pulling the other person down.”

While he clarifies that the makers had nothing to do with the toxicity, he does have a complain: “When I needed them to take an action, they didn’t, even though I had proofs. They didn’t think I was important enough.”

“I told them how they have backstabbed me. And now if you ask them the same question [about my statement], their answers would differ. That’s because I sent them proofs of my claims — screenshots of messages from cast members who are unhappy and want to leave. I had to speak up when I read about the lies Aashish and Nidhi told in interviews, calling my claims funny.”

“Talking about me in public and apologizing in private is not the solution. Aashish said he wasn’t trying to speak against me, but in favour of the show, while Nidhi said that she’d make up for it.”