Taarak Mehta is set to return to the popular television sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, but not as Shailesh Lodha. The producers have cast a new actor in the role, Sachin Shroff, a well-known face on Indian television.
A new promo of the show, which was shared on Instagram, had the residents of Gokuldhaam society celebrating Ganesh Utsav. In it, Anjali Mehta, Taarak Mehta’s wife, was walking away from the pandal when a familiar voice singing the Ganesh aarti stopped her. The promo was shared with the caption, “Aakhir kaun kar raha hai Ganpati Bappa ki Aarti ⁉Janane ke liye dekhte rahiye #TaarakMehtaKaOoltahChashmah, Mon-Sat raat 8:30 baje.”
Excited by the return of ‘Mehta Sahab’, fans welcomed actor Sachin Shroff to the show. One of them commented, “Welcome to tmkoc family @sachinshroff1 Mehta Ji ” Many just left the name of the actor in the comments section. The speculations around Shroff joining the show as Taarak have been going around for some time now. The actor was last seen in Star Plus’s show Ghum Hai Kisi Ke Pyaar Mein.
However, a few fans also demanded the return of Shailesh Lodha as Taarak. They mentioned how much they miss him in the show. One of them wrote, “Old tarak mehta is best ”. Another added, “Shailesh lodha plz come back in Tmkoc show.” An Instagram user also added, “Miss you Sailesh Lodha sir and disha vakani ma’am.”
Shailesh Lodha, who played Taarak Mehta in the comedy series, left in May of this year, citing a lack of growth and a desire to pursue newer opportunities. Previously, Disha Vakani left the show and has yet to be replaced. The SAB TV show, which debuted in 2008, is the longest-running show on Indian television.