Now there has been a mini-flood of articles about Basant leaving 'Vighnaharta Ganesh', including an actual interview with him. The Bombay Times and Times of India put out an article (see this below), and IF also put out almost the same article with minor differences (link below).
Contiloe Pictures treat their shows reasonably well, but VG does have a serious problem with frequently dragging out their storylines; there have also been several unexpected/sudden replacements over the past two years, with Basant being the latest one.
I knew that Basant and co-actors and technicians had to do several night shifts for VG at times when Kartikeya was required more in the story over the past year, while Basant has been simultaneously working in RK. What I didn't realise until I read these articles is that Basant is actually contracted to work 25 days per month for RK!!! Wow, 25 days a month! No wonder there was no way he could give more time to VG now and so ended up leaving the show. And prolonged day and night shifts plus constantly travelling back and forth between Mumbai and Umbergaon is definitely not sustainable or healthy! I definitely miss Basant in VG now, but continuing with only one show is the only practical possibility, and definitely the right choice for his health and well-being.
So, yes - 25 days per month for RK! Even though we knew that Basant is in Umbergaon most of the time, you wouldn't necessarily think that he is actually working for almost the whole month for RK based on Balram's screen-time and how they usually utilise his character! And because he is actually working for so many days for RK already, his leaving VG doesn't really mean that he has more time for RK (you would want at least a few days off each month so that you can rest and relax); however, I do hope he has more time to rest properly now that he doesn't have to travel so much and do double-shifts. So, if it continues the way it has been so far then unfortunately it looks like we won't generally see much more of Balram or his character being utilised in a better way, unless this happens for some specific track, like previously with Baldevi - perhaps if they actually have Lakshman during the Ramayan storyline, and have him played by Basant.
Articles and links are below.
________________________
Basant Bhatt: The news of my replacement came as a shocker to me
Neha Maheshwri | TNN | Sep 17, 2019, 07.25 PM IST
Article source: Bombay Times (https://www.bombaytimes.com/tv/news/hindi/basant-bhatt-the-news-of-my-replacement-came-as-a-shocker-to-me/articleshow/71170830.cms) and Times of India (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/basant-bhatt-the-news-of-my-replacement-came-as-a-shocker-to-me/articleshow/71166814.cms)
Basant Bhatt and Pratham Kunwar
After playing Kartikeya in 'Vighnaharta Ganesha' ('VG') for two years since its inception, actor Basant Bhatt has been replaced by Pratham Kunwar. Basant says, "The makers of 'VG' had blocked around seven days a month of mine, which were reduced to two days in December. Since a major chunk of my dates wasn't being utilised, I took up 'RadhaKrishn' ('RK') -- he plays Balram in it -- and allotted 25 days to it. However, the makers of 'VG' realised that I was needed for more days around the time I got busy shooting for 'RK'. So, I would shoot for 'RK' in Umbergaon and travel for three hours to do night shifts for 'VG' at Naigaon. However, it became difficult for my co-actors and the unit to shoot at nights for me and I believe that they were quite upset about it. The production house, thus, told me about the replacement and it came as a shocker to me. They told me that the quality is getting hampered, as I wasn't able to give them more time because of which they had to use a body double for wide shots. Though I was aware, the news of replacement hurt me. They needed me to give them 10 days a month, which was practically not possible. I wish I could do the show till the end. I tried my best to make necessary adjustments, but it was too difficult to balance two shows at a time because of the travel time. Having said that, there is no bad blood between the production house and me, and I wish the new actor all the best."
Pratham, who has featured on shows like 'Siya Ke Ram' and 'Mahakaali – Anth Hi Aarambh Hai', says, "Kartikeya is a very important character in the show and I feel fortunate to have been offered the part. My family follows the show religiously. I watched a few episodes featuring the previous actor to understand the attitude and graph of the character. I think that he has done a great job and has established the character well. However, I would like to add my own nuances to it and do justice to it."
________________________
A very similar article with minor differences has also been posted on IF, with a different title and photos, at https://indiaforums.com/article/basant-bhatt-talks-about-his-shocking-replacement-in-vighnaharta-ganesha_154868?ri=3&rv=13095
Basant Bhatt Talks About His Shocking Replacement in 'Vighnaharta Ganesha'
comment:
p_commentcount