From Raj Anadkat to Shailesh Lodha, TV actors who quit popular sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is one of the most popular and longest running shows on Indian Television. It recently completed 14 years and the entire cast and crew got together to celebrate the occasion in a grand way. In this long 14 years, the popular sitcom has seen many ups and downs but it has always managed to bounce back on the TRP charts. Recently, Raj Anadkat, who played Tapu announced his exit from TMKOC. This isn’t the first time that an actor associated with the show for so long has decided to quit. There have been such instances in the past too. Here’s a look at actors who have quit Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah over the years: (Photo: Instagram)

Raj Anadkat, who plays the role of Tapu in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is the latest actor to bid adieu to the show. While the speculation about his exit has been in the news, the actor recently announced that he has quit the sitcom in a post on Instagram on Tuesday (December 6). In his post, Raj wrote about the end of his association with the sitcom and the production house. He further thanked everyone for their support and wished the team good luck for the future. Raj replaced Bhavya Gandhi, who had originally played the character of Tapu for 9 years. (Photo: Instagram)

Not just Raj Anadkat, but earlier this year Shailesh Lodha too quit the show over creative differences. ETimes TV was the first to report about his exit. According to our sources, Shailesh Lodha wasn't happy with his contract and was looking forward to taking up new opportunities, which he had been missing out on because of TMKOC. So, the actor decided to part ways and Sachin Shroff replaced him on the show a couple of months ago. (Photo: Instagram)

The seasoned actress, Disha Vakani who essayed the role of Jethalal’s (Dilip Joshi) wife Dayaben in the show, was a part of the show since its launch. But after the actress hasn’t returned to the show after she took a maternity break. In 2017, the actress took maternity break owing to the birth of her daughter but never returned. Although, Disha shot a cameo appearance in the show in 2018 and 2019. Her character in TMOKC is shown to be living with her mother for pilgrimage. Rumours and discussions about her return to the show have made headlines every now and then but there’s no assurance of the same. (Photo: Instagram)

The actress played the role of Anjali Mehta in the show. She had a long association with the show and was part of it since its inception. The actress was paired opposite actor Sailesh Lodha, who played the role of Taarak Mehta. Neha quit the show over differences with the production house and she was replaced by Sunayana Fozdar of Qubool Hai. Neha was part of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah for 12 years and became a household name after playing the role of Anjali Mehta. She left the show in 2020. (Photo: Instagram)

Gurucharan Singh from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah was a part of the show for several years. However, he decided to quit the show owing to his father's health issues. Gurucharan decided to give time to his father and be with him. There were also reports of problems between the production house and Gurucharan but the actor never confirmed them. Dil Toh Pagal Hai actor Balvinder Singh Suri later replaced him on the show. (Photo: Instagram)

She became popular after playing the role of Bawri (Baga's girlfriend) in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah. The actress decided to part ways with the show in 2019 as she wanted to explore other avenues. At the time of quitting the show, the actress had confirmed the news to ETimes TV and had said, "Yes, I have left the show. It's been more than two months since I quit. I will miss the character a lot since I had molded it my way." Monika had denied the reports of asking for a hike in fee, she had then said, “I have left Taarak on an amicable note." Monika was a part of the sitcom for almost six years. (Photo: Instagram)

Nidhi, who portrayed the role of Sonu Bhide on the show, bid adieu to the sitcom as she wanted to concentrate on higher studies. She was pursuing her BA from a college in Mumbai and wanted to give her full time to her studies. Hence, the actress decided to exit the show. Later, Palak Sindhwani was roped in to play Sonu’s character. Nidhi replaced Jheel Mehta as Sonu in 2012 and won hearts with her performance. Nidhi made her television debut with Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah and worked with the team for more than 6 years. She quit the show in February 2019. (Photo: Instagram)

She was the first actress to play the role of Sonu. She portrayed the role of young Sonu, daughter of Bhide (Mandar Chandwadkar). Like Nidhi, even Jheel had opted out of the popular sitcom to focus on her studies. Balancing both studies and shooting for Taarak was becoming hectic for the actress hence she decided to leave the show. She spent her growing up years on the sets of TMKOC along with Bhavya Gandhi, Samay Shah, Kush. Later, Nidhi Bhanushali stepped into her shoes to play the role of Sonu in 2012. (Photo: Instagram)

Bhavya, who played the role of Tapu in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, quit the show after working for more than 8 years on it. Bhavya literally grew up on the show as we saw him as a little kid initially. In the initial years of the show, Tapu was a notorious Kid and Bhavya pulled off the role really well. By the end of the show's first year, Tapu had become a household name and Bhavya had become one of the most loved celebrities of all time. On the show, we saw Tapu transform from a notorious kid to a responsible teenager. He was replaced by 19-year-old Mumbai based teenager Raj Anadkat. (Photo: Instagram)

Actor Laad Singh Maan stepped into the role of Sodhi for a year but the ardent fans of the show did not accept him in the role of the happy-go-lucky Sodhi. He was replaced and Gurucharan Singh was brought back into the show. (Photo: Instagram)

Dilkush joined the show in 2013, but soon left the show in 2016 as she was not happy with the showbiz industry and wanted a break. She left the show to focus on family life. (Photo: Instagram)