Tellybuzz was the one to break the news of Arhaan Behll getting replaced in Star Plus and Reliance Big Productions' Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla by Sarabhai V/s Sarabhai fame, Rajesh Kumar.  We had also mentioned about Ishtiyak getting replaced by Sooraj Thapar.

But the latest is that Ishtiyak stays back to have a longer innings on the show!!

Our source states, "Sooraj Thapar had got finalized to get into the show in place of Ishtiyak. However, the channel felt that it was not wise to get Sooraj in mainly because he is pre-occupied with two fiction shows in Sasural Genda Phool and Chandragupta Maurya. Hence going by all the options they had, the channel decided to continue with Ishtiyak".

We also hear that the channel might have opted to play safe in not taking daily soap actors, that too after being forced to replace Aashka Goradia and Arhaan Behll earlier.

When contacted, Sooraj Thapar told us, "I agree that daily soap actors have been replaced earlier in Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla. However, my dates were available to them, as I am booked for only 13-14 days in a month. I think the channel might have decided not to take me as I am part of not one but two fiction shows".

Talking about Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla, Sooraj tells us, "Everything was finalized, and I had to just sign on the dotted lines. I also had a final talk with the production house. However, at the last minute, the channel got in and overruled the decision".

At the end of it, we can only say that Ishtiyak gets to play a second innings on the show...

Reporter and Author: Tejashree Bhopatkar