Indian television's first spin-off show 'Dil Bole Oberoi' to go off air?

Leenesh Mattoo, Nakuul Mehta and Kunal Jaisingh in 'Ishqbaaaz'

Indian television got its own cinematic universe when the adulation received by a key actor of Lalit Mohan's 'Ishqbaaaz', prompted the creation of his own solo outing. But 'Dil Bole Oberoi', which put the spotlight on the character of Om, played by Kunal Jaisingh, will enjoy a shorter run than intended. As the spin-off completed 100 episodes, speculations of it being called off air grew rife, with reports suggesting that Nakuul Mehta, who headlines the original, demanded a hike in fee for starring in both shows.

A source informs, "The channel will be combining the two shows and running it for an hour to avoid [the logistics of creating] two scripts and separate sets. This will also prevent actors from demanding more money. Nakuul, who is an important part of both the shows, has been earning about Rs 80,000-85,000 per episode. But he asked for close to Rs 2 lakh to appear on both. Following suit, other actors have also started asking for a raise."

While Mehta refused to comment on reports of him asking for a raise, he confirmed the merger, saying, "We are happy to have evolved from a half-hour show to an hour-long one. Personally, I'm happy to welcome my extended family back on our mother show. On a lighter note, this may give us a breather and a chance to take more than one loo break, considering we'll have a larger work force now."

Gul Khan, producer of 'Ishqbaaaz', which focuses on the lives of three brothers, says, "We want to bring the bromance back, given that everyone was missing it."

Jaisingh tells mid-day that he did not approach the makers with requests of hiking his fee and claims he isn't aware if any other actor did so. "The channel is clubbing both the shows, but I do not know if the decision has stemmed from requests of an increase in fee. This is the story of three brothers, but multiple screenplays were making the show lose its essence. Market research has revealed that the audience is missing watching the three brothers together."