20 December,2017 08:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu
Ankita Bhargava slams makers of Vikram Bhatt's Unafraid, who replaced the entire cast and crew, without offering any explanation
What was to mark her debut on the web turned out to be a nightmare for Ankita Bhargava. The TV actor, who had been signed on for the lead role in Vikram Bhatt's Unafraid in November, found the unit, including herself, being unceremoniously shown the door, a few days ago. To add to the humiliation, they were not offered an explanation for their ouster by the officials of Viu, the streaming platform where the show was to air.
Ankita Bhargava
From discussing the show's publicity plans to doing a promo shoot, the makers seemed gung-ho about the Sujit Mondal-directed project when it went on floors last month. Bhargava revealed that she noticed the first sign of trouble when the crew wasn't shown the first cut after shooting for 12 episodes.
Vikram Bhatt
"We were told that the rough edit needs a bit of re-editing and then, we'd be shown the final cut. I didn't mind that as several rounds of editing are not uncommon. But, a few days later, we were shooting outdoors for a crucial scene and were suddenly told to pack up. They said there was some issue with the location."
The abrupt pack-up and the flimsy excuse left Bhargava disturbed, who then called the production house. "They informed me that the show was being shelved and the contracts, annulled. Everyone was fired overnight. Apparently, our output was not in sync with what the makers wanted. Shooting 12 episodes isn't a joke. I had refused so many other offers since I was contractually bound." What irked her further was that the makers started shooting for the same show soon after, with an all-new cast.
She said that Bhatt, the writer and creative producer of the show, was the only one who sat her down and shed light on the situation. "As the protagonist, I should have at least been given an explanation over an official meeting before they started reshooting with the new cast. This is utterly unethical and unprofessional."
Bhatt regrets that the creative differences between him and the channel resulted in such an unfortunate situation. "When I saw the first few episodes, I realised that this was not the show I had in mind. I had the choice of going ahead with something that wasn't my vision, or putting my money where my mouth is and revamping it altogether. As far as Ankita is concerned, she is a fabulous actor and a good friend. I stand committed to work with her in my very next show."
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