'Show is bigger than the actor'
After considering some TV and film actors ' such as, Cezanne Khan, Anuj Saxena, Sharad Kelkar, Sushant Singh and Sanjay Suri ' as replacements for Mohnish Behl who plays Dr Ashutosh in Kuch To Log Kahenge, the final choice was Sharad Kelkar.
"Sharad was our best choice because I have worked with him before in Saath Phere and he has a good work record," says producer Rajan Shahi. "We had a few meetings following which I attended a workshop with the serial's main actors as part of my preparation for the role," says Sharad, who admits that it took him a little longer to take a call on the offer. He explains, "It's not a difficult role but the show is different and therefore, challenging. Since the role was already being played by a very senior actor I had to give it a lot of thought. But in the end, the show is bigger than the actor." In his opinion, he will be accepted as Dr Ashutosh. "Serials work on the strength of characters and actors are often known by the names of their characters. So actors are incidental and characters are permanent," he says.
However, Sharad does admit that he is bit nervous about replacing Mohnish. "No matter how much work you have done, one always feels a bit nervous when you replace someone." In Sharad's opinion, while Mohnish did a fine job, what was missing in the show was his chemistry with Kritika Kamra. "I think he was not too comfortable holding hands with her. The absence of any physical contact between them was hurting the show," he reveals.
