It was an insult to me : Madhurima Tuli

Madhurima Tuli who was seen in shows like Shree, Jhansi Ki Rani and Rang Badalti Odhani managed to enter the Balaji camp. After an audition the actress bagged the key role of Richa in the Sameer Soni starrer Parichay. But her tryst with the production house didn’t last long as Ekta Kapoor replaced her with Mona Vasu. For the first time after her unceremonious exit Madhurima shares her feelings on being turfed out of the show. Excerpts from the interview… How has the professional journey been till date? I am a part of this industry from the past 5 years now. I have done many ads and parallel leads in different serials. I also acted in Beyond Dreams’ Kaalo. The journey has been short but quite an exciting one and I am looking forward to similar experiences in the future. Mona Vasu replaced you in Colors’ Parichay. How did this happen? I was roped in to play the role of Richa. Everything was going well. I even shot some important scenes which went on air. Last week suddenly certain scenes got cancelled and I was asked not to come for the shoot. Later I got to know that they were already shooting with Mona. It came as a shock to me. I couldn’t take it and felt very hurt as I had no clue that something like this would ever happen to me. It was a unilateral decision of which I wasn’t informed. Go on... I then confronted one of the female creative persons from Balaji. She simply said they needed a mature face so they replaced me. She did not bother to give any other clarification. What do you think went wrong? I have no clue. I started shooting for the show last week and after a few days the shooting came to a halt. I tried calling them to ask when it will resume. The concerned person kept on saying that the shooting got delayed or cancelled. Finally, from day before yesterday they stopped receiving my calls. That’s when I figured out that someone has replaced me. So I really have no idea what went wrong. I guess it’s my bad luck that I lost such an important role. How big is the loss? Balaji is a big name, so obviously it is a big loss for me. Every person in the TV industry wants to work with the production house. The replacement came as a big disappointment for me but I know I will find my footing for sure. Is there anything you want to say to Ekta Kapoor? I would like to tell her that whatever be the reason, first inform and then replace. If I would have known that I was going to be replaced, I would have felt bad but not as bad as I am feeling right now. It was an insult to me. Will you work with Balaji again? I guess I have to say yes. I am a professional and if I get a good role I will be happy to play it. We are in an industry where you never know who you will need. So it is advisable not to hold grudges against anyone if you want to survive happily. Do you have anything lined up now? I am open to anything that comes my way as I am still trying to explore myself as an actor. In fact, I am in talks with few production houses but it’s too early to disclose anything. So right now I have kept my fingers crossed.