Dime-a-dozen replacements! (artical)

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Prachi Desai (TOI Photo) More pics

Some things never change on television. Like replacements. Okay, to put things simply, lead characters in prime time/afternoon/evening soaps are no longer indispensable.

On the contrary, if someone can't cope with the gruelling work hours (Krystle D'Souza, Pranita Sahu), starts getting Bollywood dreams (Prachi Desai), acts pricey (Rajeev Khandelwal, Smriti Iraani, Pulkit Samrat, Cezanne Khan, Iqbal) or refuses to grow old (Surveen Chawla, Apoorva Agnihotri, Rucha Gujarati, soap-makers think of the handiest quick-fix formula — hire another star, change the storyline to suit his/her re-introduction (usually a bullet wound, a fall from a cliff, a raging fire or a car accident) in the show.

What about the poor audience though? Can they even relate to this constant stream of new Tulsis, Anurags, Kinjals et al? In Karam Apna Apna, for instance, Apara Mehta's character has been replaced thrice over. Mihir, changing face in three months, became a joke in the world of television. Nivedita Basu, creative director of Balaji Telefilms says, "If the old actor is creating problems for the production house, then we have no option but to change the actor. We just can't stop a successful show."

Actor, Ronit Roy who replaced the first television icon Mihir in Kyunki ..., says, "I was accepted easily by the audience. I have realised that nobody (character) is bigger than the show."

Actress, Gautami Kapoor who replaced Smriti Iraani in Kyunki ... says, "I don't think it is easy for the audience to relate to a new face that they have known for six-seven years. But they do believe in giving a fair chance to a newcomer and that's why I just followed my gut feeling and took up the role."

While Hiten Tejwani, who's often known in television circles as a replacement actor — replaced actors in Kkusum, Kkoi Dil Mein Hai , Kkesar and Kasauti Zindagi Kay , says, "The audience does face problem when it comes to identifying a character, but if the replacement actor is popular, he can carry off the show well."

And now television's youngest bahu Bani is all set to quit Kasamh Se in May and mentor Ekta Kapoor is launching a nationwide audition to get a replacement. How does Prachi feel about someone else taking over Bani's role? "I think if a character is replaced, the show doesn't do well comparatively. Nobody can replace any character because an actor makes a character," chips in Prachi.

Hate to say this Prachi, but, in the end, a TRP-topping show has to go on!