In the month of June, producer Rajan Shahi while having a chat with entertainment portal PinkVilla revealed that a particular actor was demanding a pay hike. Though he did not disclose the name of the actor then, he added that the actor was not ready to negotiate in testing times. There was much guesswork made about who that actor might be since then. The producer disclosed the name of the actor in his recent interview with a leading daily and said that it was Ritvik Arora.

Ritvik Arora portrayed the role of Kunal Rajvansh in the serial ‘Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke’. Rajan Shahi mentioned in his interview that he does not mind replacing actors if they behave unprofessionally. He further divulged into the fact that when a production member got in touch with Ritvik lately, the actor asked them to speak to his father. The producer found it very ‘unprofessional’ and said that the contract was signed with the actor and not his father. Nevertheless, they contacted his father and the latter asked for almost a double raise in Ritvik’s remuneration, and also a 25-day guarantee. Rajan added that the way his father communicated was with his team was really wrong. The producer said, “What’s really wrong is the way he communicated it saying, ‘Don’t even think of calling back if you want to negotiate.”

“If an actor wants to opt out of a show, we totally understand. But the behaviour of unprofessional people, who hold a production house to ransom, should be called out," added Shahi.

However, Ritvik claimed that it is a case of miscommunication and misunderstanding. He told that his father did ask for a raise thinking that the production will put him off from the shoot. He also clarified his father’s behaviour referring to the COVID-19 situation as they are very concerned. The actor said, “There is absolutely no reason for me to leave the show because it’s such a good opportunity. This is a case of miscommunication and misunderstanding.”

Rajan Shahi, on the other hand, emphasized on the fact that it is not about what you demand, it is about how you demand. He also added that such kind of unprofessional behaviour will not be tolerated.

Watch this space for more updates.