In a recent interview, Shehzada Dhami, formerly a part of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, addressed the circumstances surrounding his termination from the show and shed light on the challenges faced on set, including Pratiksha Honmukhe’s battle with depression.
Trigger Warning: The article discusses depression.
The sudden removal of Shehzada Dhami and Pratiksha Honmukhe from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai startled many viewers a few months back. Their overnight replacement sparked widespread speculation online about the reasons behind their departure.
While the show’s producer, Rajan Shahi, spoke out in interviews, citing Dhami’s alleged unprofessional behavior and Honmukhe’s purported failure to meet her character’s demands, the actors remained silent. Finally, Shehzada Dhami, known for his portrayal of Armaan Poddar, shared his perspective on the matter.
Shehzada Dhami on what exactly went wrong
During his conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Shehzada Dhami disclosed that he encountered mistreatment and disparagement from a specific director on the show, starting from the inaugural shoot day in Mahabaleshwar. Despite this, he chose not to react. Dhami detailed the director’s consistently rude and demeaning demeanor.
While he personally overlooked the treatment, Dhami emphasized his inability to tolerate injustice towards others. He admitted that one of his weaknesses is an aversion to witnessing innocent individuals unfairly targeted.
Shehzada Dhami shares an incident with Pratiksha Honmukhe on the sets of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai
Shehzada recounted a distressing incident involving Pratiksha Honmukhe being publicly humiliated on set. He described a scene where Pratiksha was supposed to make a hand gesture and cross her fingers. Despite accurately performing the action, the director berated her for not adhering to the script, humiliating her in front of the entire crew.
Despite Shehzada’s intervention, clarifying that Pratiksha had followed the script correctly, the director persisted in insulting her. Devastated, Pratiksha retreated to her room and broke down in tears.
Shehzada went on to explain that after the scene, Pratiksha confronted the director about his behavior, admonishing him for his lack of manners. She approached him, expressing her desire to speak, but he rudely rebuffed her. Undeterred, Pratiksha insisted that he could not speak to her in such a manner. In response, the director questioned whether she would teach him how to communicate properly. Pratiksha asserted that she would indeed, as he lacked basic courtesy.
He continued, “That girl spoke up because she had been treated this way from the very beginning of the show. She was deeply depressed because of these incidents. It’s her decision whether she wants to speak up or not. This was a significant altercation and fight.”
He elaborated, “When she said she only wanted to speak with him, the director rudely retorted that he didn’t wish to talk to her and didn’t want to collaborate with her. As he left, he accused her of wanting him to pamper her.”
Shehzada Dhami also mentioned that the show’s producer, Rajan Shahi, never directly spoke to him or had a one-on-one conversation before making decisions. Despite the events that unfolded, Shehzada expressed his respect for Shahi and gratitude for the opportunity to portray Armaan Poddar in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai.
Following Shehzada Dhami and Pratiksha Honmukhe’s departure from the show, Rohit Purohit and Garvita Sadhwani stepped into their respective roles as Armaan and Ruhi. Meanwhile, Samridhii Shukla continued portraying Abhira on the show.