Actors who quit TV shows and then made a comeback

Ahem to return to 'Saath Nibhaana Saathiya'

After springing a shocker on the audience by exiting 'Saath Nibhaana Saathiya' two months ago, Mohammad Nazim, who played the male lead Ahem, is all set to return to the long-running show. Apparently, the chemistry between the new male lead Dr Krishna Raheja (Khalid Siddiqui) and Gopi (Devoleena Bhattacharjee) hasn't really clicked with the audience. The makers have now decided to bring back the original male lead. A source associated with the show reveals, "'Saathiya' has always been about Gopi and Ahem, so we felt it was necessary to revive the love story. A new story is being worked upon to reintroduce Nazim on the show."

Vivian DSena

The actor, who catapulted to fame as RK in 'Madhubala — Ek Ishq Ek Junoon', was brought back two months after he was shown the door. Many attribute the actor's quick return to the show's dipping ratings.

Surekha Sikri

Surekha Sikri returned for a cameo to 'Balika Vadhu' after she quit the show. She was brought back as Nandini's (Mahhi Vij) guiding light, which was believed to be an attempt to bring back the lost audience.

Amar Upadhyay
The actor, still remembered for his portrayal of Mihir Virani in 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', was brought back from dead as a result of protest marches by his fans.

I went numb when I re-shot for Gutthi: Sunil Grover
Small screen has time and again proved that no actor is bigger than a show. Especially, when protagonists and important characters are suddenly ousted from popular shows overnight owing to their tantrums or sometimes they chose to walk out for greener pastures in life. However, it is the amazing fan following of these stars that force the makers to bring back their favorite stars to play the most loved characters.

Fans rejoiced when they saw their favourite comic actor Sunil Grover's return on Comedy Nights with Kapil. However, to their disappointment Sunil returned not as Gutthi but as Kapil Sharma's father -in-law. However, the wait to see Sunil Grover once again reprising the role of Gutthi has finally arrived as the actor will be seen as the girl next-door Gutthi on the show. He will enter the show in the coming episodes wherein actors Akshay Kumar, Tamannah Bhatia will be seen promoting their soon to be released film Entertainment.

Talking to TOI, the versatile actor shared his experience of re-shooting for Gutthi, he said, "I recently shot for Gutthi and while I was standing on the stage (in the balcony from where Palak enters) thinking about how to make my entry, I heard people cheer as soon as my name was announced. It was really heart-warming to see so much love and affection for Gutthi's comeback. When I saw all that I went numb and blank at that point and forgot what to say. I didn't know how to react, I was touched to so much love and affection."

Smriti Irani aka Tulsi: Well, who can forget the very popular Smriti Irani aka Tulsi Virani. She played the character of small screen's favorite bahu. But broke millions of hearts with the news of her quitting Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi over alleged differences with Ekta Kapoor the producer of the show came to the forefront. The makers brought Gautami Kapoor as her replacement but the viewers who were in love with Smriti and her character simply refused to accept Gautami as Tulsi. The production house (Balaji Telefilms) and the channel had no choice but to bring back Smriti to play Tulsi again.

Karan Singh Grover aka Armaan: TV heartthrob Karan Singh Grover's name is enough to explain the fan following that the actor enjoys. His sheer presence on the small screen is enough to drive his female fans crazy. The actor, who become a youth sensation as Armaan Malik in Dill Mill Gayye enjoyed all the attention when he played the character in the cult youth show. The show saw two seasons and some difficult moments when the actor decided to part ways with the show. However, KSG had to make a re-entry on the show after six months as his fans flooded the makers with hate mails and calls to bring him back.

Shilpa Anand aka Riddhima: Just like his co-star Karan Singh Grover even Shilpa Anand shot to popularity with Dill Mill Gayye and became a household name as Riddhima. The actress enjoyed a tremendous fan following all thanks to her character. Her sizzling chemistry with KSG was simply loved by everyone and the audiences craved to see them together. However, the beautiful actress quit the show in 2008 leaving her fans heartbroken. Shilpa re-entered the show in 2010 on fans demand but in a different character. She was once again paired opposite Karan and both of them successfully re-created the same magic onscreen.

Kavita Kaushik aka Chandra Mukhi Chautala: Kavita Kaushik, the tall lady who sports a khakhi uniform like no one else on the small screen gave all her fans sleepless nights when she announced to quit the long running show FIR. After doing nearly 800 episodes, Kavita Kaushik quit the show in February 2013, as she wanted to try out different characters on TV. The actress immediately took up another show Tota Weds Maina however the show failed to do any wonders and shut down within three months of its launch. This gave the makers a chance to convince her to come back to FIR and the actress agreed to return to the sitcom.

Rashami Desai aka Tapasya: Rashmi Desai, who was a part of Uttaran since its launch quit Uttaran in March 2012. The actress quit the show because it was heading for a generation jump and Rashami was not willing to play a mother of a grown-up daughter. Not only this, the actress was apparently not very happy about her character being very negative. But in November 2012, she returned to the show as an older woman but this time, her character was made positive.