Manas Shah, who was seen in Dangal’s Tulsi – Hamari Badi Sayani, is upset that the show went off air so soon after his entry. He was hopeful that the increase in TRP would help in the show being extended, but unfortunately, the change in time slot decreased viewership, and the plugs were pulled on the show.
He said, “When I joined this show, it had already been running for six months. Then the show took a leap, and my entry happened as the new male lead. Interestingly, something similar happened in my previous show, Yeh Hai Chahatein. When I joined that show, it had already been on air for three years and six months. At that time, I was told that the show was about to end, and my role was just a one-month cameo. However since I had never worked with Balaji Telefilms before, I accepted the role for the experience. However, luckily, things worked in my favour. After my entry, the show’s TRP started improving, and instead of ending in a month, it ran for another 9-10 months. The same thing happened with Tulsi Hamari Badi Sayani. The show was struggling and had already dropped to the bottom two in ratings. I was brought in with the hope that my entry might help boost the show’s performance.”
“Fortunately, as soon as I joined, the show moved up from the last position to the third last. In the first TRP after my entry, the ratings jumped from 0.6 to 0.8 in just one week. Unfortunately, the show’s time slot was changed, and our original time slot was given to a new show. This led to a slight downfall in viewership. It does feel bad when a show goes off air, especially because I had only worked on it for about one and a half months. My character in this show was very strong and intense, something I had never played before—so I was enjoying it. But I now understand that this is how the industry works. If a show isn’t in the top three, there is always uncertainty about its future. Every show has a constant pressure to perform, or it risks going off the air. So yes, it does hurt when a show ends, but I am happy that my entry didn’t bring the show down; in fact, it only improved. Unfortunately, despite that, the show had to end,” he added.
He mentioned that there is always a business strategy behind everything as money is involved. He added, “The channel also has to think from its perspective. We can’t get too emotionally attached to everything because, at the end of the day, the channel cares about all its shows, but if a show is not performing well, they have to make a decision.”
It was Manas’ first show with Dangal and he had a good time shooting for the show. “I had worked with Optimystix Productions before on another show, so I already knew the producers, Vipul D. Shah and Hemant Kevani. I share a good relationship with them, and they trusted me enough to give me another opportunity. The entire team was fantastic. The work process was very smooth—from the director to the spot data, everyone was great,” he said.
He credited the show for adding to the diverse range of characters he has played. He said, “I got to play a Robin Hood-type character for the first time. It was a new and exciting experience for me.”
