Hritik Yadav REVEALS Dipika Chikhlia fired him from Dhartiputra Nandini due to THIS big reason, says ‘Emotional toll was…’ [Exclusive]
Actor Hritik Yadav, who is currently seen essaying a pivotal role in Apollena, has opened up about his exit from Dhartiputra Nandini. He revealed that producer Dipika Chikhlia let him go after a bold scene from a previous web series surfaced on the internet. However, according to Hritik, that was just part of the story.
He spoke to BollywoodLife about the details of what happened with him on the sets. He said, “Dhartiputra Nandini was a great show, and I played a parallel lead. The storyline, especially the love triangle drama, was performing well and received positive feedback. However, an unexpected incident occurred. A senior co-actor from the show, someone I deeply respected – she’s the same age as my grandmother- allegedly circulated a viral clip of a scene I had done in the past with the cast and crew. I always held her in high regard, so this was surprising and disappointing.”
“Initially, I tried to ignore the issue, assuming it might stem from insecurity or other factors. However, when I went to the set the next day, everything had changed – the storyline had shifted unexpectedly. When I questioned the team, they assured me the original track would resume in a month. Although I had hope, I realised the viral video was the reason behind these sudden changes. On my last day of shooting, people who had been warm and friendly, including the DOP, directors, and co-actors, became distant. They avoided speaking to me, gave me judgmental looks, and treated me differently,” he added.
What bothered him was how he was treated by the rest of the team. “I am someone who forms bonds easily. Working with the same team every day builds connections, and their behaviour affected me greatly. None of my co-actors asked me what had happened. I didn’t expect much from everyone, but I thought the production house, with whom I shared a strong understanding, would reach out. Instead, they were unresponsive.”
He adds, “I believe you can’t judge someone based on rumours or past work without understanding their side of the story. It’s unfair to conclude without knowing the complete truth. Judging me based on an older project and allowing it to affect my present career—with ignorance, stares, taunts, and storyline changes—was deeply wrong. I even filed a complaint with the association regarding payment issues, which may have further strained things.”
The actor also claims that another artist was also approached for his role. “Another point that raised doubts was the casting of another actor during the same period they claimed they would bring me back. If they genuinely planned to reinstate my track, they could have called me, especially since I was available and hadn’t signed any other projects. The whole situation left me feeling isolated and depressed for 9-10 months. People I considered close turned their backs on me. They stopped collaborating with me, which impacted me financially and emotionally,” he shared.
Things don’t end there. He adds that this move has had serious repercussions on his career. “There’s a tendency to criticize actors who leave a show, but when actors are asked to leave, it severely impacts their careers. My track on Dhartiputra Nandini was performing well, with good TRPs, and all the characters were positive. I’m unsure if it’s destiny or luck, but something similar happened with another show, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein 2. My track was doing well there too, but suddenly, they introduced a leap and gave me a month-long break. They called me back after the break but I had to refuse taking up the show after the leap, because I had already accepted a role in Naagin 6. This reflects how production houses often fail to understand an actor’s perspective—they ask actors to wait for months and don’t consider the implications on their careers. Due to such things, I was away from TV for nine months. I received an offer for a show, but since the production team had connections to Dhartiputra Nandini, they replaced the entire cast, including me, after locking everything in place,” he says.
“What happened on Dhartiputra Nandini made me hesitant to speak up at the time, fearing it might harm future opportunities. However, the emotional toll was so heavy that I had to address it eventually.”
On being asked how he received support, he says, “When I came forward about this incident, many people reached out to support me. They encouraged me to move on, and their support helped me regain strength. My friends were sympathetic and reassured me that I had done the right thing by taking a stand. The timing felt right to share my story. Earlier, I hesitated because I didn’t want to jeopardize my career. After facing multiple rejections, I’ve come to understand the industry better. Social media often blows things out of proportion, but I now know how to handle such situations.”
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