Could This Show Replace Our Own Astitva?

Actor Mohnish Behl has almost been finalised for the role originally offered to Gaurav.

Wanted 30K per episode

"We had approached Kumar Gaurav for one of the male leads in our new serial, but it didn't work out because of money issues," says Ekta.

When asked if monetary considerations prompted his decision, Gaurav isn't forthcoming. "I don't want to comment on this. It's my personal choice; I wasn't interested in doing this. Right now, I am not interested in doing any serials," he says.

Balaji sources say the actor asked for Rs 30,000 per episode, for shooting 15 days in a month. But the serial's budget didn't allow that kind of fee.

A lot like Little Women

Says Ekta, "Mohnish Behl is 99 per cent finalised for the role. This is the first time that Mohnish and I will be working together, and I am looking forward to it."

About three sisters

About the serial, Ekta says, "It's a story about three sisters and their relationships. It's about three girls uprooted from their home when their parents die.

Their beliefs differ — the eldest believes in love, the middle one in money, while the youngest and most ambitious sets forth to earn name and fame.

Mohnish will play the second sister's husband, a rich, older man. It's a lot like Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, but also heavily inspired by Jacqueline Bisset's novel, Too Much Too Soon.

It's a Pune-based story, and we will have new faces for the roles of the sisters, for which we are launching a big hunt. The serial will be full of drama, just like Banegi Apni Baat," she promises.