MUMBAI : Malav Rajda and Priya Ahuja frequently expressed their dissatisfaction with Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’s makers. For ten hard years, Priya’s husband directed the popular sitcom in which she previously played the character of Rita Reporter.
The duo appeared on the most recent edition of Luv Hua, during which Priya made it clear that, even with Malav directing, she never requested additional screen time from TMKOC maker Asit Modi. The actress said that she never asked for extra screen time simply because she was “director ki biwi” since she felt that a person’s personal and professional lives should be kept apart.
She said, “Specifically in TMKOC, I never asked him (Malav Rajda) to speak to writers or directors. I never did this. This is my profession, it is my work. When I met Malav, I was already a part of Taarak (Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah). He did not get me on board for the show. So, my track is not his responsibility. I always leave certain things to luck and my hard work. The rest is the producers’ call. We cannot do much about it.”
Priya added, “I am disappointed. Earlier, the track was good but later I felt that they avoided me because I was the director’s wife. I have told him (Asit Modi) as an artist that I want to be more visible in the show but I never told him, ‘Main director ke biwi hu aap dekh lena (I am the director’s wife)’. That has never happened.”
In the course of the conversation, Priya also revealed that Malav’s departure from TMKOC and said it was having an impact on his personal life. She said, “Everyone faces ups and downs. We are no different. The best part is when the frustration started to come home with him, I told him, ‘Malav, this is affecting us.’ I love us. When it started coming home, I told him that, ‘now you need to get out. You better stay at home. Do not get negativity from outside.’ He realised how his work life was affecting him as a person and he chose to get out of that place.”
