Sharad is a different person who will be encapsulating the characters role, for this he will be also giving his best to his ability in showing the performance of being in the shows of the character and as a viewer registering him as the new Ashutosh and seeing his chemistry with dr. Nidhi the audience are the best judge.
The audience watching this show is a mature one and people who watch shows do want to see some beautiful gestures between the two character who are portraying that they are in love and have feelings, eye locks to an extent is ok but when it becomes repetitive it's unreasonable, feelings have to be portrayed in some form or the other as a viewer I wish to see that in many forms which make subtle romance pleasing to the audience, and the couple here have seen the outside world and they live in 2012 where great conversation, emotions need be shown between two lovers and this need not be for the audience but for themselves.
Keeping distance between each other and no touching seems artificial after a certain time, as mature adults gestures convey a lot for individuals in love and feel the warmth between each other.
I have been married for more than a decade and if I am watching this show as a viewer I would defiantly expect to see some gestures shown when two people in love, and understanding and feelings need to be shown in a reasonable way.
The actor who would be a replacement for the character, is expected to portray the same emotions as the character needs and as an audience I would also see how these gestures can be convoyed by him with giving due diligence to the needs of the script and if needed they may tweak it to the progress of this relationship
And above all the concept of Kuch tho log kahengay needs it's emphasis, as society will witness gestures also and do the lot of talking
This is my pov to what sharad has to say about the confortzone when the show does at some point of time need it as when the original was name DK and the duration it went on was different to want the little bit or some more presumably the audience wishes to see in gestures being depicted in a relationship between a man and women.