Article - amit tandon aka manthan

Amit says, "Tulsi needs someone with a powerful presence. Personally speaking I think Rekha would be perfect for Tulsi. She has the perfect ability to express herself and possesses a strong charisma. Practically however, from TV I would choose Shefali Shah to play the character. She has an intensity in her eyes which is very commanding. I've read it in the papers, but I don't think Padmini Kolhapur would be a good replacement for Smriti."

Tandon recalls being anxious on his first shoot with Smriti because, "It was Smriti Irani! Tulsi and Kyunki are synonymous! She was very good about the whole scene though. It was a good moment the first time I shot with Tulsi. In the scene Bhumi and I were talking. We were walking on a college campus and I was plotting my revenge on KT. Then Tulsi aka Superwoman comes in out of nowhere and starts warning me and I tell her that she is an old woman and I don't care about what she thinks!"

Amit also was scared of Smriti hurting him:
"I had heard from the director and people on the sets that when Tulsi slaps someone she really slaps them! The fact that she has the highest number of slap scenes in the show was very scary for me. Thankfully for all the scenes where she had to slap me her duplicate was shooting with us so I haven't experienced any real slaps from her yet." he says.

The actor adds that he "would have loved to shoot with her on a regular basis. There are a few actresses who get into a scene like Smriti Irani. I really felt like she was one of those people who are completely dedicated to her work."

According to Amit, Kyunki is all about a story and how the drama unfolds around it so its TRPs shouldn't get affected: "The story will go on with or without Tulsi. I don't think Smriti's exit from the show should affect its popularity. If it does, then we will all bow down to Tulsi!"