Mrunal Thakur, Shabbir Ahluwalia to Sriti Jha; Actors who quit Kumkum Bhagya

Kumkum Bhagya has been running successfully for the past 8 years. The show has been on the TRP rankings for a long time, and the makers continue to introduce new twists and turns to keep fans interested in their daily drama. Despite its high TRP rankings, several celebrities have decided to move on and quit the show. Take a look:

Pooja Banerjee is the latest to join that list. Pooja, who is playing the role of Rhea, has decided to quit the show as she is expecting her first baby. The actress is in her last trimester and wants to spend the time away from shoots. She recently wrapped up the shooting and the team of Kumkum Bhagya gave her a cute surprise on the last day of her shoot.

After playing the role of Abhishek Prem Mehra in the popular TV show, Shabbir decided to step out of the shadow of his character and quit the show after 8 long years. He is all set to play a lead in the new show produced by Yash Patnaik. A source told BT, "It’s a love story set in Punjab and Shabbir will play the hero in it. We are in the process of casting the girl and looking to introduce a fresh face opposite him.”

Sriti Jha, who was playing the lead role of Pragya opposite Shabbir Ahluwalia in the show, also decided to quit the show after being a part of it for 8 years. A source hinted that the show will revolve around Ranbir (Krishna Kaul), Prachi's (Mugdha Chapekar) lives. The source had told BT, "Shabir and Sriti have been the pillars of the show for seven years now. But it won't be surprising if their tracks are not revived and they bid adieu to the show because they have played their characters to the maximum and now the newer actors need to take over. However, it is uncertain if their track is over or they will be brought back some time later."

Bigg Boss OTT fame Zeeshan Khan also quit the show after he decided to participate in the controversial reality show, Bigg Boss OTT. In an interview with ETimesTV, he had said "I never regret quitting my show being aware how big my role was in it. Of course, I was sad. I really loved the team. Shabir (Ahluwalia) sir, Sriti (Jha) are amazing people. But as I was heading towards a new journey in 'Bigg Boss' which was keeping me strong. And the 'Kumkum Bhagya' team was supportive about it."

Naina Singh originally played the role of Rhea in the show. However, she also left the show midway. The actress wasn't happy with her negative portrayal on television screens and hence, decided to quit the show. In an interview with ETimesTV, Naina said, "It was a tough call. People have been telling me that Kumkum is number 1 show, and people die to get a show like this or even Balaji. I am hard to satisfy and a craver. I need something new and strong. After a while, I just couldn’t take Rhea. The role was later played by Pooja Banerjee.

Mrunal Thakur, a well-known name in Bollywood, was also a part of the popular show. She left the show after she got a break in Bollywood. Mrunal played the role of Sriti's sister, Bulbul in the show. Mrunal is very close to her Kumkum Bhagya co-stars, Sriti Jha and Arjit Taneja. She shared that they motivated her a lot during her struggling days.

Shikha, who played the role of Aaliya in the show, was replaced by the makers after she took a maternity leave. "I didn’t quit the show and was hoping to get back to work in January 2021, but I think it is unfair to expect the production house to wait for me till then. Also, I can’t resume work during the COVID-19 crisis, with a newborn at home”, she told ETimes TV. She was replaced by Reyhana Pandit.

Arjit Taneja who played the role of Shabbir's friend and Mrunal's love interest Purab, also left the show before the leap. He left the show after his character lost its prominence over time. Arjit became a household name with his on-screen character in the show.