TMKOC Producer Asit Kumar Reacts To Shailesh Lodha’s ‘Dues Not Paid’ Charge

A couple of weeks after Shailesh Lodha accused Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah makers of not paying his dues, the show’s producer Asit Kumar Modi has reacted to it. Asit dismissed Lodha’s allegations and asked why will he not pay somebody’s ‘mehnat ke paise’.

“Mai kissi ka mehnat ke paisa mere jeb mein rakh ke kya karu? Bhagwan ne mujhe bahot kuch diya hai, sabse zyada toh mujhe pyaar diya hai. Aisa kuch nahi hai ki logo ke paisa nahi du, yeh karu. Mujhe khushi hai ki mai logo ko hasata hu (Why will I not pay somebody’s hard-earned money? God has given me everything and above all, I get a lot of love from the audience. It is not true that I have not paid people their dues. I am happy that I make people laugh),” Asit Kumar Modi said as quoted by Pinkvilla.

This is for the second time that TMKOC makers have dismissed Lodha’s allegations. Earlier too, the makers of the show issued a statement and claimed that the actor has not completed the exit formalities due to which his payment has been withheld. “Despite repeated communication to sign All Dues document and collect his pending payment, Shailesh Lodha has refused to do it. When you leave any company or show, there is always a procedure that needs to be followed and fulfilled. Every artiste, staff or technicians needs to do these formalities. No company will release the payment before completing the formalities,” a part of their statement read.

For the unversed, earlier this month, a report by Hindustan Times claimed that Lodha’s ‘six-figure amount’ is yet to be paid by the makers of the popular sitcom. The report also claimed that while Lodha has been waiting patiently for the same, the show’s producer Asit Kumar Modi is not paying any heed. “Shailesh’s payment from over a year has not been cleared by the makers of the show. It’s approximately a six-figure amount. He has been patiently waiting for the makers to clear his dues for almost a year. But producer Asit Kumarr Modi is paying no heed,” a source cited by the entertainment portal said.

Shailesh Lodha used to play the role of Taarak Mehta in the show. He was a part of the show ever since the beginning. However, he quit in April 2022. It was earlier reported that the actor was not very happy with his contract and felt that his dates were not properly used while shooting for the show. It was also said that Shailesh wanted to explore more opportunities. Lodha was replaced by Sachin Shroff in the show.