Published 21:33 IST, December 18th 2019
Sushant Singh's exit from Savdhaan India: Channel denies CAA protest led to its decision
As Sushant Singh's exit from Savdhaan India made headlines, Star Bharat denied that his protest against CAA led to its decision to not renew his contract.
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After Sushant Singh’s exit from Savdhaan India made headlines, the channel airing the show has clarified that its decision had nothing to do with the actor participating in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. It added that the show was set to follow a new format. That's the reason it did not renew his contract.
A spokersperson from Star Bharat that telecasts Savdhaan India, clarified in an interview with an entertainment portal, that the channel was ‘dismayed’ with the reports doing the rounds over a ‘change’ for the show. The channel stated that the show has featured numerous hosts during its seven-year journey, with various formats of presentation. It cleared that Sushant Singh was brought on board the show again in October 2019, and his contract lasted till January 15, 2020. Star Bharat stated that the new format of the show wouldn't need a presenter and that was the reason why the contract was not renewed. The spokesperson concluded that the channel did not support any political ideology, neither did it seek to influence the political views of its contracted talent.
The controversy
Sushant recently announced on Twitter that his stint with Savdhaan India had ended. Since he had opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act recently, one of his followers asked him, “The price you pay for speaking the truth?” He had responded, “"A very small price my friend. Otherwise how will you face Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru?" Sushant had played the role of Sukhdev in Ajay Devgn-starrer The Legend of Bhagat Singh.
As per reports, the channel had cited budgetary reasons for Sushant’s exit, however, he had denied any knowledge of it. He also added that he was ready to negotiate on his fees if budget was indeed the reason. Sushant stated that his contract was ‘terminated’ abruptly and that the channel could’ve given him a month’s notice for the same. He had termed it ‘strange’ that he got to know of it the day he participated at a protest.
21:27 IST, December 18th 2019