TMKOC to cast new Dr Hathi, Nirmal Soni may return

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah to cast new Dr Hathi, Nirmal Soni may return

A new Dr Hathi will soon be seen on Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah after the death of actor Kavi Kumar Azad who played the role for eight years.

As the fans of Taarak mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah come to terms with the death of Dr Hathi actor Kavi Kumar Azad, the makers are already mulling over who to cast as the new Dr Hathi. It is show business at the end of the day and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah makers have confirmed that they are already scouting for a new face to play Dr Hathi. According to a report, Nirmal Soni who played Dr Hathi when the show started may return as Kavi's replacement.

Taarak Mehta maker Asit Kumarr Modi confirmed this to Spotboye and said, "We will have to replace Dr Haathi, if you want to know. It's the actor who has passed away, not the character.

An Indian Express report said that the process to cast new Dr Hathi is already underway and we will soon see the replacement. "Producer Asit Kumarr Modi is personally looking into the casting and wants the perfect replacement. While it's really hard to find someone as talented as Kavi, we are doing our best. We should have a confirmation about the replacement soon, the report quoted a source as saying, adding that chances are Nirmal Soni may return as Dr Hathi.

Nirmal Soni played Dr Hathi when Taarak Mehta Ka ooltah Chashmah started.

Taarak Mehta also telecast the last scene shot by Azad as Dr Hathi last week. Actor Munmun Dutta, who plays Babita on the show, wrote an emotional note for the actor and shared the scene which was shot by the actor with the entire Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah on July 7. She wrote, "This was the last scene that Hathi Bhai shot with us on Saturday. The episode was telecast on July 13 and revolved around Dilip Joshi's Jethalal going missing.

Watch Dr Hathi's last scene here.

Kavi Kumar Azad, who played Dr Hathi on the show for eight years, died after suffering a cardiac arrest on July 9. He was cremated on July 10 at Mumbai's Mira Road Crematorium and most of his co-stars were there to pay their final respects. Azad had replaced Nirmal Soni on the show who played Dr Hathi's character for a year. Apart from working on the small screen, he also featured in a few films including Aamir Khan's Mela, Jodha Akbar and Funtoosh.

Eight years ago, Kavi Kumar Azad, who played Dr Haathi on Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, almost died after collapsing on sets of the show. A new report says that his hospital treatment and the bariatric surgery that was conducted on him were all paid for by Salman Khan. Azad had lost more than 100 kgs after the health scare but refused to undergo any more surgeries for the fear of losing work.