Death delight for Maayka and Indraneil

How ironical is it that a death brings joy. And those who are joyous are Zee TV and Creative Eye – the broadcasters and producers of Maayka. Not long ago, it was reported that the show was down in the barrel after lead actress Shilpa Shinde called it quits and one of their premier characters Veer (Vineet Raina) was laid to rest. As always in our soaps, a death infuses new life i.e. a new character. Stepping into the Maayka territory is Indraneil Sengupta. Says Indraneil, “Yes, I’m entering Maayka. My character name isn’t finalised yet but he is a childhood friend of Shabd (Vivan Bhatena). He gels into the Sareen family very well. This character can be equated to SRK in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.” Indraneil’s entry all the more ruins all theories of an early wind up. Producer Dheeraj Kumar though offers a different take, “The future of any show never hinges on the introduction of any character unless it’s a Shah Rukh. In the latest TRPs, we are the number one show on Zee. The credit goes to the entire team and not to just any individual.” Maayka fans expressed shock at the current track especially after it was reported that the channel called for such a track so as to offer shock value for its viewers. So is it still the channel that’s calling the shots? Dheeraj disagrees, “It’s a collective effort of the channel of the production house to implement changes in the track. For two years, we were running the same old thing and thus a change was inevitable if we were to move forward.” What about lead actress Shilpa Shinde’s decision to quit? The elated producer replies, “Shilpa is not quitting the show. We’ve managed to convince her to stay.” Shilpa Shinde remained unavailable for comment. With death changing fortunes for Maayka, expect other shows to line up for a funeral.