The Karan Singh Grover no-holds-barred interview; actor opens up on Qubool Hai controversy

Fasten your seatbelts, for this is one helluva roller coaster article!!! The industry rose to a rude shock when the news of Karan Singh Grover being sacked by Zee TV from the show Qubool Hai (4 Lions Films) hit the headlines. The channel head Ajay Balwankar spoke and spoke in volumes against the popular actor to the media, who according to him has been unprofessional and also mentioned about a probable legal action against KSG (as Karan is lovingly called by legion of his fans). Earlier in the day, we also wrote about Raqesh Vashisth coming in as the replacement of KSG. But amidst all this, everyone wanted KSG to open up on the alleged controversy. After all, his reputation was at stake. Everyone wondered, why was he keeping mum? Was he trying to maintain a dignified silence, or was waiting for the storm to settle down before rising from the dust? When we buzzed him, all he said that he would soon issue an official press statement. We waited and waited and refreshed our email inbox, but nada, it only showed silence from KSG’s side. But we were awakened by a sms late in the night asking, ‘Can we talk now?’ The message was sent by Karan, anxious and insistent on sharing his heart out. We knew it would be a long conversation. So quickly grabbing a cup of hot coffee, and settling in comfily with a pen and paper in hand (yes, we like the traditional way), we rang up “the” Karan Singh Grover. Hello Karan, hope you are good. So what’s all been written about you? “I am good thank you. Yes, I have read what has been written about me and I have been waiting to talk. I delayed not because I was scared, but I wanted to see how low the channel would stoop to defame me. Whatever has been spoken against me today by Zee authorities have left a very bad taste in the mouth, and I will not let go easily, “said Karan in a heavy tone. He continued and we let him speak, “It has been said that I came on the sets drunk, which is an utter lie. It is extremely sad the way they have spoken about me. The truth is that my contract got over 3 months back. Right at the beginning I made it very clear that I would stay with the show for a year and then move on. I stayed on because Vikrant (Massey) left the show at the time when my contract expired, and being close to Gul (Producer Gul Khan), I did not want the show to get affected. Hence, I did not renew the contract but continued to shot for Qubool Hai.” So why did he want to quit? “See, I have been keeping very unwell. Right now I am in Delhi and I am not holidaying here. I am suffering from some ailment which I don’t want to talk about but yes, multiple physical tests are being done on me. I am in Delhi for health reasons. I had a meeting with the channel on 19th of this month wherein I told them about my problem and they understood it. But on that day they asked me to stay on for a month and then leave. I was worried that people love the character of Asad and they would miss it dearly. So I sat with the juniors of Ajay Balwankar and pondered upon how to show my exit. I told them instead of replacement, for many fans connect me with Asad, kill my character and get a new lead. All was good but then bam...comes today’s version from Ajay.” Are you hurt? “Absolutely. You know what, I told Balwankar’s juniors that I plan to produce my own show. They told me to do it with Zee and not go to any other channel. They told me to sign an exclusive contract with Zee and I agreed to everything. I said whenever things materialise, I would love to work with them again. Then where is all the negativity coming from suddenly? This shows how less informed Balwankar is when it comes to the meetings I have had with his juniors pertaining to Qubool Hai. The statement was absolutely uncalled for as I gave them dates to end my track. Instead of talking to the press, Balwankar could have just called me up and cleared his doubts. He could have been open minded. He has no right to talk garbage about me to people. They told me to postpone my medical check-ups. I beseeched them to allow me to take a break and in return I promised them to give another 3-4 months of my time to the show. I said it was physically not possible for me to continue shooting. And this is how they reacted to it. Called me an unprofessional.” After a small pause, KSG went on, “I think I became the victim of a channel’s ego. They think how can an actor dare to leave us. They would like it the other way. They would say we threw him out. I am completely disappointed and shocked at this point of time. I just want to state that Balwankar has been in the industry for a far more time than me. It’s not that we were unaware of each other’s existence. He could have taken into consideration our one year of relationship and acted accordingly. Now it’s more like one more show, one more channel, one more person. Very sad. Know what, you guys wrote about Raqesh (Vashisth) replacing me, I am the one who convinced him to be a part of the project, as Asad is a very loved character. He is a very dear friend to me. You do so much and what you get in return...humiliation.” What about the legal case that the channel intends to file on you? “Oh, they have no base for that. My contract got over with the channel. The only person who can file a legal case is me against Zee for defamation, which I am considering seriously.” This will get dirty, it seems!!! Before signing off he said, “I have no issue with Gul at all. She is a lovely person. I just wanted to share the truth with my fans who love me a lot and have supported me throughout. I felt they should know my side of the story. I have nothing else to say. Thank you everyone and I will be soon back doing what I do the best.” Whoa...he really opened up, didn’t he? As they say, the absolute truth is always someone else. But all we can say, these are issues which keep cropping up in the entertainment industry. We just hope both Zee and Karan find peace and do great in the future. Let us know about your thoughts in the comment section below.