Rajan Shahi's Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke is back in the news, but for wrong reasons. The show's parallel lead, actor Ritvik Arora, who plays Kunal Rajvansh has apparently been shown the door by the makers for being unprofessional and throwing tantrums. As per reports, while the production house is claiming that Ritvik had some unreasonable demands to make and was asked to leave, Rithvik claims that its COVID-19 that has hampered his return to shoot. Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke and Anupamaa Undergo Timeslot Changes, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai Remains Unchanged (Deets Inside).

Back in an interview with Pinkvilla in June, Rajan Shahi had mentioned how an actor from his shows' team refused to resume shoots unless and untill his pay was doubled. "I won't name the actor but when my team called that actor and told him that 'you have to resume shoot' he demanded 'double per day' and put more conditions which were impractical. This was totally going against the contract already signed. Actor demanded double per day, and his talk with my production was that 'don't even call us if you want to negotiate'. Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke: Vatsal Sheth's Track To End In The Shaheer Sheikh - Rhea Sharma Show, Cast Throws Him A Farewell Party (View Pics).

And now, clarifying what went wrong, both the parties talked to Bombay Times and here's what both Rajan and Rithvik had to say.

Rajan Shahi's Side of The Story

Rajan was quoted by the daily as saying, "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." Year Ender 2019: Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, Chhoti Sardaarni, Kaun Banega Crorepati; Some Of The Best Shows On Television This Year!.

Angered with this attitude, Rajan told the daily that he is open to negotiations and talks, provided they be done proactively. "I have always been approachable. But for someone to say that don’t even think of calling if you want to negotiate... negotiate what? You are going against the contract! When they were asked to send an email on this, they started dilly-dallying. 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. However, we have a record of all communication exchanged."

Rajan concluded his stance by saying, "We have been very accommodating with actors who have genuine COVID concerns. If an actor wants to opt out of a show, we totally understand. But the behaviour of unprofessional people, who hold a production house to ransom, should be called out. 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."

Rithvik Arora's Side Of The Story

Ritvik Arora told the daily, "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. 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." Coronavirus Outbreak: Rajan Shahi’s Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke Team Skips One-Year Celebrations.

He went on to claim, "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." Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke Review: Shaheer Sheikh and Rithvik Arora Steal The Episode; Rhea Sharma Also Impresses Us!.

Revealing that both he and his father tried to reach out to the production house to sort things out, Rithvik revealed, "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."

Rithvik concluded by saying, "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."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 27, 2020 01:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).