Hum Paanch gets new director

Rajan is best

A source from the show reveals that the change was made, as the production house was not happy with Kulkarni's work. "Samir's style of working, his vision did not go hand in hand with what we envisioned. It wasn't feasible for him to continue working on the show as he too had other commitments, so the parting was amicable."

Adds Sandip Sikcand, creative head for the show adds, "We wanted the best, someone who is experienced enough to handle comedy well. Rajan is the best, which is why we decided to rope him in."

Rajan, who replaces Kulkarni, admits there were teething problems for the show's former director. "In the beginning, every project goes through a rough phase. In fact, Samir has been my assistant, and we have worked closely together. I admire his style of working; we even have some similarities when it comes to direction. I wish him the best."

Re-shot pilot

It is learnt that Rajan had to re-shoot most episodes already shot by Samir. "Yes, I was asked to re-shoot quite a bit, including the pilot," he says.

Says a Balaji insider, "Samir was not able to cope with our style of working, and maybe he was unable to handle the stress. Also, the genre of comedy that is the theme of the show needs a certain finesse, which was lacking in his product." Samir was unavailable for comment.