Neha, who plays the lead role opposite Karan Grover, has been replaced by Jhalak Thakkar in STAR Plus' daily noon soap Saarthii. Been on air for two-and-a-half years now, the serial will soon cross 500 episodes. According to producer Asit Modi, "It has been doing well and the TRPs are improving by the day". So what made him replace the lead actor? "Actually, it is a mutual decision. Neha has been wanting to take a break for a long time but we were waiting for an opportunity to do so because it is not easy to replace the main actor. Now, the story is taking a twist and Neha could be let off," informs Asit who has also replaced the writer of the show. It was initially written by Rajesh Joshi but now since the last few episodes Jayesh Patil is scripting it. According to the script, Neha's character will meet with an accident and there will be a case of mistaken identity. She will be mistaken for her co-passenger and another face will be reconstructed i.e Jhalak Thakkar's.
Along with the replacement, the soap is also getting into another phase. No, there is no leap but the makers are introducing a Gujarati family, the Parekhs, into the soap which is currently revolving around the Goenkas. "We will have a wider canvas and the scope to continue for a long time," smiles Asit