JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Opinion: What impact does it have on the audience when an iconic actor exits a show in between?
In this article, discover how an actor's sudden exit from an ongoing show impacts the audience and its potential impact on the show.
Remember the days when fans used to stalk actors in real life, from their homes to their social lives, as they were crazy about their beloved characters’ on-screen presence? Today, in changing scenarios, a fan stalks an actor's social media handles, where they post updates from their everyday life, from work to personal, for the same reason. Nevertheless, this fondness of fans for their favorite actor is endless.
Now imagine if an actor with a significant fanbase, who has been the soul of a show, leaves it today for unknown reasons; how will it impact the audience? However, it is quite tricky to understand that a few of the viewers get so emotionally attached to the show's character that their favorite actors exit from the show, which traumatizes them to the core that they start online battles on various social media platforms.
The audience gets emotionally triggered
Lately, it has been seen that the exit of many television stars from a running show has turned into a massive disappointment for the audience, which marked the start of some serious discussions and some turned into battles. Often, it has been recorded that fans and haters drop their opinions about an actor's exit, expressing their emotions. 
As has been in the case of Shehzada Dhami and Disha Vakani, the audience’s aggression and disappointment were clearly depicted in their comments. In a recent picture, Shehzada, who essayed the role of Armaan Poddar in Rajan Shahi’s Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, fans expressed their heartfelt emotions after his exit from the show.
One of them wrote, “Jis din aapne show chhoda Humne show dekhna chhod diya (On the day you made an exit from the show, I stopped watching it).” While the other one wrote, “Come back in serial yeh rishta kya kehlata hai Armaan bhai please.”
Whereas in the case of Disha’s exit from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, fans slammed the makers of the show, as they were creating a buzz on the return of Dayaben in the show.
One of the users wrote, "If this is a trick and Daya does not come back, sorry but this will be my last chance to the show, henceforth I'd intentionally boycott the show.. and it doesn't matter if it's new days or old days. But this shouldn't be a gimmick anyways." Another fan of the show commented, "You guys r stretching it too much it will lose the importance of the character as well as serial (sic)." In the next comment, a fan said, “Dayabhabhi is not making a comeback, makers are just making hype to get TRP up and make viewers to engaged with show. @officialasitkumarrmodi please don't do this.”
How does an actor’s exit affect the show?
Again! Everything does depend on the audience’s habit of watching the show. However, if the audience is showing their interest in the show, it is usually because of the characters and the storyline. Imagine if a lead actress of Rajan Shahi’s superhit show, Anupamaa, Rupali Ganguly, leaves the show; how will it impact the audience?
According to us, the whole concept behind the show is that the hook point will disappear immediately. And it will happen because people are connected to Anupamaa in Rupali’s skin.
This move will affect the audience so badly that they may not be able to watch the show again with the same interest because that one character acquires the soul of the show. The loss of interest in the show will further lead to a decline in viewership, which will significantly affect the TRP rate of the show and lead to less revenue generation.
Can replacements of the iconic characters work?
Often, the replacements of the actors in the show never work well as the audience gets used to watching the actor in the character's skin, which leads to an emotional connection. However, they hardly accept the new face.
The similarity has been seen in the case of the popular Hindi sitcom Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai; when Shilpa Shinde, who portrayed the role of Angoori Bhabhi in the show, made an exit, the TRP of the show declined.
Although the actress, Shubhangi Atre, carried the character well as she replaced the former, she couldn’t rule the audience's hearts. Though the series is still running, it has lost its flavor.
The reason behind the actors’ leaving the show
Lately, several shows have seen the exit of their iconic characters for various reasons, including generation leaps, controversies, cold wars between the co-actors and makers, stagnant storylines, better options, and others.
Shehzada’s controversial exit hit the headlines, as he was the main lead of the show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. Later, the show's producer claimed that the actor was having attitude problems on the sets, as he asked the former to choose between him and his assistant, who has been working with the production house for the past 20 years.
Also, the reason for Paras Kalnawat’s exit from the show is that Anupamaa is still undercovered, but the actor has highlighted that something very wrong has happened to him on the sets. And to prove himself right, he has proofs, which were later deleted, as the show's makers forced him.
In conclusion, the audience, somewhere or another, gets affected by the iconic character leaving the show, which marks a drop in the show’s TRP. They cannot imagine someone else in the same character’s skin, even if the other one is equally good. Therefore, this marks an emotional connection between a fan and the actor.
ALSO READ: Opinion: TV shows in the age of social media: A marriage or a battle?
Latest Articles
