Abhishek Malik, who was last seen in Colors’ Chhal Sheh Aur Maat, has had a long wait when it comes to his next project. And this is after he has bagged the lead role in Shashi-Sumeet Mittal Productions Pvt. Ltd’s upcoming show on Sony Entertainment Television which is on the lines of The Beauty and the Beast. Talking about the delay, Abhishek says, “Things have been delayed due to the shraddh period. And now with the festive phase coming in, I hope we go on floors in mid November. And if everything goes according to plan, we might even be on air in late (2012) or early January (2013).” This delay has already cost Abhishek the five episode Life OK musical mytho Ram Leela in which he was offered the role of Lakshman. Getting back to his upcoming Sony show, Abhishek informs us, “Maybe our show was supposed to replace Byaah Hamari Bahu Ka at the 8 pm slot, but our story line was also changed. At first I was told that the lead girl loves me in a case of mistaken identity with Rohit Khurana completing the triangle. But I have not been informed of the change in story as of now. Also, my look has been revised from casuals to formals.” Readers will remember that Tellychakkar.com had earlier written about Sargun Mehta opting out of the show after a conceptual change. Says Abhishek, “The lead girl has not been finalized yet.” Ask him about what caused his earlier show Chhal to fall flat in just six months and he says, “I rather look at the positives. Producer-director Nandita Mehra maam went out of her way to make me and my co-star Avinesh Rekhi comfortable as this was our first TV show. The show began with me and within four months the emphasis shifted from me. There was a lot of confusion in the plot as well.” Abhishek, we hope you get back on screen with your next show at the earliest.