Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke: Ritvik OUT Due To Unprofessional Behaviour But Actor Blames COVID-19

Ritvik Arora OUT Due To Unprofessional Behaviour!

As per TOI report, the production house said that Ritvik is no longer a part of the show due to his unprofessional behaviour, but the actor revealed that he is unable to resume work due to COVID-19 situation.

A few days ago, producer Rajan Shahi had said that a lead actor was demanding an exorbitant fee hike and behaving unprofessionally in these times of COVID-19. Although Rajan refused to reveal the name, it is now believed that he was talking about Ritvik.

Rajan Shahi Says…

When the producer was asked what went wrong between them, he told the leading daily, "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."

What Not Happy With Ritvik's Father's Response!

Rajan said that he has always been approachable as sometimes actor or technician might have certain clauses in their contract. The producer is not happy with the condition laid by Ritvik's father, especially the statement on negotiation didn't go down well with him. He added that when they asked them to send email they started dilly-dallying. The producer also revealed that 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. He said that his team has a record of all communication exchanged.

Makers To Replace Ritvik!

The producer added that if an actor wants to opt out of a show, they totally understand as they are very accommodating with actors who have genuine COVID concerns, but he feels that the behaviour of unprofessional people, who hold a production house to ransom, should be called out. Rajan also mentioned that he had issue with the actor last year as well, as he didn't turn up for shoot for a day and was not reachable on phone because of which they suffered losses. It was after Ritvik apologised in writing, that they gave him another chance.

Apparently, the production house is now in search of another actor to replace Ritvik. Rajan further said, "No matter how popular an actor maybe, it's his work ethic and professionalism that is of paramount importance to me. If that is not there, I don't mind replacing him."

Ritvik Arora Blames COVID-19 For Not Resuming Work

Meanwhile Ritvik has something else to say, he said, "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."

Ritvik Explains…

"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. I am their only son and they were anxious because I would be living alone in Mumbai."

He further added, "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. 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."

Regarding last year's incident, the actor said he said that the issue was from both sides and doesn't want to delve into it as it's in the past.