Sameer Soni out, Apurva Agnihotri in Sonali Bendre show!

Sameer Soni who was to play a role opposite Sonali Bendre in Ekta Kapoor's show Bade Dhoke Hai Is Raah Mein is out of the show. Apurva Agnihotri last seen in Pyaar Ka Dard Hai will be replacing him. A source from the production house confirms that Apruva has been finalised for the role. As for Sameer, there were reports about him not being available for the shoot due to date issues! Considering Sameer had made his comeback to fiction shows with Ekta's Parichay that had him playing the protagonist, it is strange that the actor could not accommodate dates for her show! When contacted, Sameer said that he had an issue with the remuneration. "When I was approached for the role I was quite excited. The role was very interesting. I was also told the character was written with me in mind. I pushed my film My Birthday Song, which I am directing, by three months for the serial as I was told it will be a finite series of six months. However, a few days ago when we talked about the remuneration, I found it was much lesser than what I had quoted. I was told that since the show is being launched on a relatively new channel, they did not have the budget to match my fees. That surprised me, to say the least and mutually decided to not go ahead."

Actors like Varun Badola and Praveen Dabbas were also shortlisted for the show but Apurva has finally landed the role. Sameer, in the meantime, is busy re-organising the schedule of his directorial debut starring Sanjay Suri. He will also be launching a new girl in the film.