TOI:Exclusive: My new show with same star cast to have a better story

After facing a lot of backlash for Pehredaar Piya Ki, the channel and producer, Shashi- Sumeet Mittal, have mutually decided to end the show, midway.

In an exclusive interview to the TimesOfIndia.com, producer Sumeet Mittal of Pehredaar Piya Ki said taking a show off air midway is like suffering a miscarriage.

"It's a very painful process to end the show abruptly. It surely feels bad. Taking a show off air is like suffering a miscarriage. We work hard for each of our creation, without thinking about the outcome. Whether the show works or not, we put in the same amount of hard work and passion. We didn't want to wait for the audience to reject our show," said Sumeet.

When asked about the reason behind this sudden decision, he said, "It's not sudden. We have been discussing it internally with the channel ever since the change in time slot was decided. We were skeptical about it and not convinced. We wrote the story keeping the prime time audience in mind and change in the slot would have given us no output. Hence, we decided to end the show mutually. It was a difficult call, but we had to do it."

Sumeet Mittal denies the reports that the decision was taken because of a notice by the I & B Ministry. "No. They had asked us to shift the time slot and add a scroll. That's it. After watching the show, the ministry was sure that there was nothing wrong or objectionable about the story. To pull the plug on the show was our decision. We didn't want to do something just for the heck of doing it. We believe in enjoying the process of making a show," explained Sumeet of Pehredaar Piya Ki.

Sumeet, who has produced Diya Aur Baati Hum, is now planning to comeback with a new show, and the same cast and crew.

"We treat audience as an asset so we don't want to lose them. We will return with a new show and the same team very soon. In fact, we have started working on the same. The next show will have a better story. The actors will be with us till then," said Sumeet Mittal.

The producer says that those associated with the show have taken the decision in the right spirit.

"The best part after we took this decision has been my team's reaction. They all have taken the decision in the right spirit and now we are working towards coming up with a new show. This is what I have earned in a short span of time. I have lost money, but I have got a fabulous team who are supporting our decision," concluded Sumeet.

Pehredaar Piya Ki has been mired in controversy from day one due to its bizarre plot. It centers around the love story and subsequent marriage of a 9-year-old young boy with an 18-year-old girl. The show was slammed for being "regressive", with many viewers accusing it for "promoting child marriage."

The show has now been pulled off by the channel after Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) directed it to shift the show in late night slot from prime time.