'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa' costs Arjun Bijlani dearly

Rivalry between two channels can often prove costly for actors and

Arjun Bijlani

is the latest victim of this. The actor was finalised to play the new hero (the new

Kunj

) in the show

'Tashan-E-Ishq'

. But the team working on the show replaced him quickly on learning of his participation in the upcoming season of the dance reality show '

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa

', which airs on a rival channel. Confirming that Arjun was caught in the crossfire between two channels, a source associated with the show said, “Sidhant had to exit the show for the same reason. He was keen on taking up a dance reality show that he was approached for. It becomes difficult for an actor to balance two shows at a time. They didn’t want a repeat of that with Arjun.”

"In the past too, there have been cases where channels have stopped their actors from taking up reality shows on a rival channel," says another source.

Naman Shaw

will play the new lead in 'Tashan-E-Ishq'. Incidentally, Naman has earlier replaced actors in several shows, including

Anuj Thakur

in '

Beend Banoongaa Ghodi Chadhunga

' and Jay Bhanushali in '

Kairee

— Rishta Khatta Meetha'. He says, “I am not replacing anyone this time. This character Kunj will undergo plastic surgery and emerge with a new face. That’s how I will enter the show.”


Others who had to leave their daily soaps for '

Jhalak

Dikhhla Jaa':

Giaa Manek: The original Gopi bahu of '

Saath Nibhaana Saathiya

' was dissuaded from participating in 'Jhalak...' as the channel didn’t want her to break the bahu image. When asked to choose between the daily soap and the reality show, the actress chose to quit the daily soap.

Mohit Malik: Mohit had put in months of hard work toning his body to play his own son in '

Doli Armaanon Ki

'. But he was shown the door instead, for choosing to participate in 'Jhalak...'. The actor requested the channel to reconsider their decision, but it was in vain.