Ritvik Arora Out Of YRHPK After Rajan Shahi Accuses Him Of Unprofessionalism, Actor Says Family Concerned About His Health

TV actor Ritvik Arora would no longer be a part of Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke. Producer Rajan Shahi confirmed the news and accused the actor of unprofessional behaviour. However, Ritvik says that it's just his family's concern for his health.

Talking to ET, Rajan Shahi said that when the supervising producer, Vivek Jain, had called Ritvik, and the actor had asked him to speak to his father. Shahi found it very unprofessional. On top of that, the actor's father apparently asked for a pay hike which apparently was double the amount. He said, "We have been very accommodating with actors who have genuine COVID concerns. 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. In the case of Ritvik, there was a problem even last year when he didn’t turn up for shoot for a day and he was not reachable on phone, and we suffered losses. He apologised later in writing and we gave him another chance then. No matter how popular an actor maybe, it’s his work ethic and professionalism that is of paramount importance to me. If that is not there, I don’t mind replacing him.”

Ritvik, on the other hand, claimed that he was grieving from the loss of his uncle and his family was also concerned about his health after Parth tested positive for COVID-19. He said, "My uncle passed away recently because of coronavirus, so obviously, everyone in my family is worried. Then we learnt about actor Parth Samthaan testing positive, which further
fuelled their apprehensions. I first received a call from Rajan Sir in May, asking me when I would be able to resume the shoot. I informed him about my uncle passing away and said that I needed some time. I asked my father to take the communication ahead with the production house, as I was deeply affected by my uncle’s death. A few days later, Vivekji called me, and I told my father to talk to him and decide whether I should go to Mumbai to shoot. I am their only son and they were anxious because I would be living alone in Mumbai. I didn’t know about the conversation that transpired between my father and them. After I learnt about it, I told my father that he was wrong in asking for a pay hike. However, he didn’t ask them to double my money, he asked for a minor hike thinking that it would serve as a deterrent and they wouldn’t call me to Mumbai. My father was willing to send me to shoot from July 1, as he thought things would get better. He called them several times to clear the air, but our calls went unanswered. I asked him to apologise through messages and on mail. In his apology, my father stated that it wasn’t about the money, but about my safety and well-being. I totally understand their decision to not respond. However, I can vouch that my father wasn’t rude, nor did he tell them to not call him for negotiation. In fact, I received a mail from them on July 7 asking me when I would return. I didn’t want to commit to a date as I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stick to it, owing to the ongoing crisis. So, I wrote a mail stating that as of now, I don’t plan to return to Mumbai. 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.”

Well, we hope that Rajan Shahi and Ritvik actually talk it out and clear the misunderstandings.