Actor-poet Shailesh Lodha quit Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah in 2022 after being a part of the show for 14 years. Recently he made an entry in the TV show Advocate Anjali Awasthi.

Talking about getting back to the fiction genre, he says, “I am doing a fiction show after a gap of two years, but I was part of the reality show Wah Wah Kya Baat Hai, which kept me busy. I was also travelling around the world for my poetry shows. I was waiting for a good fiction show to come my way, so when I got this offer, I took it up.”

Shailesh admits that he is as passionate about acting as he is about his poetry. He shares, “I feel that being a poet complements the actor in me. I want to do a lot more in the acting field and hope to bag strong roles in the future, because I want people to see that side of me as well.”

He adds, “Shayaad meri kavita ka aasmaan itna bada hai ki usme log bhool jaate hai ki main abhineeta bhi hoon. I hope I get a variety of interesting roles across all mediums.”

Talking about his journey, he says, “I believe in destiny and that has played a huge role in my life. I started working at the age of 10. I used to perform my poetry on stage at that age and it got me a lot of fame. Kavita ne mujhe woh sthaan diya ki television ne mujhe bulaya.”

Shailesh Lodha, who played Taarak Mehta in the TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (TMKOC) for 14 years, has won the lawsuit that he filed against producer Asit Kumarr Modi for not clearing his dues. The verdict came out in May and as per the settlement terms, a sum of 1,05,84,000 has been paid to the actor. Shailesh quit TMKOC in April 2022 and earlier this year, he approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for the clearance of his yearlong dues.

When we reached out to Shailesh, the actor said he was happy with the verdict and grateful to the NCLT. “This fight was never about the money. It was about seeking justice and self-respect. I feel like I have won a battle and I’m happy that the truth has prevailed,” Shailesh said.

The actor has never spoken at length about the circumstances behind his exit. While hinting at how things went sour, Shailesh said, “He wanted me to sign some papers to clear my dues. They had certain clauses like you cannot talk to the media and other things. I didn’t bow down to the armtwisting. Why would I sign any papers to get my own money?”

Furthermore, Shailesh shared how his fight seems to have helped another actor who was a part of the show. “One of the actors, who I don’t want to name, wasn’t paid for over three years. After I filed the suit, he was called by the production house and was paid his dues. He called to thank me for it,” Shailesh, who is also a well-known poet and writer. Despite repeated attempts, producer Asit Modi did not respond to our calls and messages till the time of going to press.

It has been almost a year since Shailesh Lodha quit the longrunning show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (TMKOC), but issues between him and producer Asit Kumarr Modi remain unresolved. Most recently, the actor, who played the title character in TMKOC for 14 years, filed a case against the producer before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for not clearing his dues.

Asit said he was hurt by how Shailesh handled the situation. He added, “I received a notice a couple of months ago and couldn’t fathom the reason because I hadn’t refused to clear his dues. In fact, we followed up with him regarding his pending dues by regularly sending emails and text messages because he had to complete the formalities. That’s how it is in every organization. However, he didn’t agree to complete those formalities.”

The production house was hopeful of Shailesh returning to the show. But when that didn’t happen, they replaced him with Sachin Shroff in September last year. Asit said, “When you work together for so many years, minor disagreements and clashes are bound to happen. Don’t family members fight, too? He wanted to take up work outside and participate in kavi sammelans, but Taarak Mehta is a daily soap with an ensemble cast, and it was not possible to accommodate his request. We had a minor tiff over it in April last year, after which he never returned to shoot.”

He added, “Shailesh ji spoke about his atma sammaan, toh bhai hamaara bhi toh atma sammaan hai. Targeting me with his couplets and poems doesn’t befit him. I feel hurt by his behaviour as we shared a good relationship. I have never badmouthed him and have respected his work. I took the risk of entrusting him with the responsibility of playing the title role even though he wasn’t an actor aur ek dinn jhagda hota hai aur woh aadmi bura ho jaata hai. Taarak Mehta se koi bhi jaata hai mujhe dukh hota hai because the unit is dear to me. He quit the show, we didn’t tell him to leave. We even offered him to serve a three-month notice period if he wished to quit the show, but he refused to have a meeting with us. Pyaar se aakar unko paise le lene chahiye the par he didn’t want to sign any document or complete the paperwork and other formalities. If there was a problem, he could have shared it with us, but he filed a case instead. We have a record of emails and text messages sent to him. How are so many people working on the show for the past 15 years if their dues are not cleared on time? Strangely, jab tak aap show ka hissa hain tab tak sab achha aur jaise hi chhod dete hain toh sab bure. I fail to understand this attitude.”

When contacted, Shailesh Lodha said, “I do not want to comment on the case, as it is sub judice. I would just like to say that Taarak Mehta wasn’t my first show, and I didn’t approach Asit Modi to cast me. I have been an established poet since 1981 and worked in TV shows like Waah Waah, Comedy Circus and Kya Baat Hai before. I would like to quote great poet Krishna Bihari Noorji’s couplet ‘Sach zara sa ghate ya badhe toh sach na rahe, jhooth ki koi inteha hi nahi aur sone ke frame mein madh dijiye chahe, aaina jhooth bolta hi nahi’. I also remember two lines penned by me ‘Usse jhooth ko asharfiyon se dhakne ki aadat hai, bhool jaata hai woh mere pass sach ki taakat hai’. I will reply to every claim made by Asit and talk about the trail of events with all documents at the right time.”

Shailesh Lodha, who played the lead character in Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah (TMKOC) for 14 years, has decided to take legal action against the makers of the show. The actor-poet left the show last year due to a reported rift with the showrunner, Asit Modi.

Earlier in January, we reported that Lodha has been waiting for over six months to clear his dues of over a year. And in the first week of March, he initiated a corporate insolvency resolution under Section 9, as Modi could not pay his debts, and reached out to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The hearing is set to take place in May.

When contacted, Lodha refused to comment, saying “the matter is subjudice”. And Modi has not made any comment, citing that he is “currently travelling”. However, we were contacted by Sohil Ramani, project head, TMKOC, who said that “Lodha has been like family” to them.

He claimed that they have been “trying to reach out to sir (Lodha) for months to sign the required paperwork and receive his pending payments”. Ramani further stated that they have “never denied or refused to give his payment”.

“In every company, when people leave, they have to sign full and final papers before complete payment is released. Instead of going around and complaining, isn’t it better to simply follow the regular procedure? We are not pursuing any case. We have already informed sir (Lodha) to take his dues and sign the required papers,” he ends.

After almost six months of his exit from the TV show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Shailesh Lodha’s dues are yet to be cleared, we have learnt. The actor, who was a part of the show for 14 years, left abruptly in April 2022.

A source shares, “Shailesh’s payment from over a year has not been cleared by the makers of the show. It’s approximately a six-figure amount. He has been patiently waiting for the makers to clear his dues for almost a year. But producer Asit Kumarr Modi is paying no heed.”

The source adds that Lodha left the show due to an altercation with the showrunner: “He felt disrespected and left the show without any notice. Shailesh has maintained a dignified silence since then.”

Another source from the set shares, “This isn’t the first time when someone’s cheque has been delayed. Neha’s (actor Neha K Mehta, who played Anjali in the show) Rs. 30-40 lakh are yet to be cleared by the producer. Even Raj Anadkat (actor), who played Tappu, faced similar issues.”

When we reached out to Lodha, he made a sarcastic remark and said, “Tell me something new.” The actor added, “I’m travelling for my poetry gigs. I’ll be talking when I’m back.”

We tried contacting Modi, but there was no response till the time of going to press.

Actor Sachin Shroff has finally broken his silence on replacing Shailesh Lodha in the show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. The actor says he will “try his best to do justice to the role”, and is very excited to be working with actor Dilip Joshi.

He adds, “Dilip ji is currently not in town. When he returns to the sets in a few days, I will get to shoot with him. I will definitely get to learn a lot from him. I know I will get to do something new and exciting.”

The Balika Vadhu actor also appreciated and thanked his co-stars and directors Malav and Harshad for making him “feel comfortable from day one” and sharing “brilliant inputs”.

“I would say not just for this character, but whenever I step out for work, I am always a little nervous and anxious about it. Every actor has that pressure on them to do good. Everyone here on this show’s set is trying their level best to ensure that I don’t feel like I am under any kind of pressure,” he concludes.

Ever since the announcement of Lodha’s exit, there were several speculations about his replacement. Talking to one of the leading news portal, Shroff said, “Jis tarah se paani mein shakkar ghul jaata hai swaad anusar, waise hi, I will try my best to do justice to the role. I just want to request everyone to keep continuing to love our show. I am taking baby steps to get used to the character.”