Four months after the launch of Mahadev & Sons , the show is set to witness the exit of one of its lead actors. Manasi Salvi , who plays Bhanu Bajpai, has quit the daily soap, but her departure has now escalated into a contractual standoff with the makers.

While Manasi remained unavailable for comment, producer Saurabh Tewari said there are contractual limitations around her exit. He told us, “Yes, there are issues. Manasi had concerns about her number of working days being reduced, which is not unusual in a daily soap. We told her we would work it out, but she did not want to continue. She informed us via email on April 20 about her decision to quit the show and asked us to consider May 15 as her last day of shoot.”

He added, “However, she cannot legal ly exit the show without honouring the exclusive contract she has signed with us and is bound to fulfil a six-month notice period from April 20, or any exit date mutually agreed upon, not decided by one party. It is neither legally nor professionally appropriate to quit the show at such short notice. The production house explored a workable solution; however, due to creative requirements, it is not feasible at this stage. Her exit can only be effected through mutual agreement or in accordance with the contract. Any attempt to breach it will attract legal action.”

Emphasising the stakes involved in such exits, he further said, “The production house and the network have the option of taking legal action in case of a breach. A network invests substantial financial resources in launching a show, building characters, and promoting them. Manasi has been, and continues to be, the principal antagonist, and significant time and resources have gone into developing her character. To safeguard these interests, binding agreements are put in place, and she entered into one with full knowledge.”