New Prem is Dhruv from Shararat

Reliving the past

Tracing the roots of the character, Prem was shown getting kidnapped and murdered by goons that Komolika (Urvashi Dholakia) hired.

However, Prem didn't lose his life in that mishap. After Komolika flew to US, he was thrown at the mercy of a surrogate mother who raised him; now he considers Apo*na (Geetanjali Tikekar) his real mother.

Return of the son

As the soap has already seen the scheming Apo*na (Geetanjali Tikekar) making a comeback from the throes of death, the next twist will have Prem (Manoj Bohra) as the son assisting the mother in her vile intentions.

A ruffian by nature, Prem owns a web development company and flaunts his "cool attitude." The introductory scene will see him rough up Anurag while buying beer for himself.

Gradually, he confronts Anurag and Prerna when they come calling at his office with a business proposition for buying his web development company. Adds Bohra, "The tiff begins when Prem demands Rs 500 crore for selling the company to Anurag and Prerna. Later on, he gets to know that they're his original parents."

Makeover time

To meet the needs of the character, Bohra went on a shopping spree early this week. Says the actor, "My character is inspired by Justin Timberlake. For the first time, I'm flaunting a lot of junk jewellery, loose jeans and t-shirts.

I literally spent hours picking up loads of stuff from Bandra. As far as my hair is concerned, I've adopted the Shaggy look." His stylists are veejays Teejay Sidhu and Anusha Dandekar.

Search for the hero

After reports of Sahani's injury reached the Balaji office on September 30, the creative team, including producer Shobha Kapoor, was running from pillar to post to get an actor, as shooting was scheduled to start on October 3.

Said creative head Nivedita Basu, "It's unfortunate that Rakshak Sahani landed up with an accident. We started looking for the right guy, someone who would suit the rebellious spirit of the character. Manoj was the only person who fit the bill. As far as Rakshak is concerned, he'll be accommodated in some other project once he's fit."