Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke: Avinash Mishra To Replace Ritvik Arora Aka Kunal; Avinash's Look Test Also Done- EXCLUSIVE

A few days earlier we had reported that Ritvik Arora who used to essay the character of Kunal in Rajan Shahi's Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke is getting replaced. And now SpotboyE.com has it, that the actor who is stepping into Ritvik's shoes is Avinash Mishra whom we last saw on Zee TV's Yeh Teri Galiyan.

A source close to the show informs us, "Avinash has been finalised to play the character. The actor did his look test today and most probably will resume shooting for the show from tomorrow. Although Avinash is replacing Ritvik in the show for character Kunal his look will be very different from him".

Talking about Ritvik's replacement, the producer has told Bombay Times that he was replaced due to his unprofessional behaviour,  "A few weeks ago our supervising producer Vivek Jain called Ritvik. He said he could start shooting from July 1, but we should first speak to his father. That itself was unprofessional because he’s the actor, who has signed a contract with us. Yet, Vivek called his father, who asked for a raise in his remuneration, almost double of what he was being paid, and also a minimum 25-day work guarantee. What’s really wrong is the way he communicated it saying, ‘Don’t even think of calling back if you want to negotiate’. After this, Vivek reached out to Ritvik again, and even this time, he told us to speak to his father".

He went on to add, "Sometimes an actor or a technician may have some concerns and want a change in certain clauses. These things happen, but they have to be discussed proactively. I have always been approachable. But for someone to say that don’t even think of calling if you want to negotiate... negotiate what? You are going against the contract! When they were asked to send an email on this, they started dilly-dallying. A few days later, Ritvik’s father started sending apology messages for laying down those conditions and tried to blame things on the COVID situation. However, we have a record of all communication exchanged. 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.”  

Whereas, when Ritvik was contacted, the reasons for him were different. He told Bombay Times, “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."

He further added, "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."

Ritvik also said that his dad apologised. The actor says, "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".