MUMBAI: Zee TV’s popular fiction show, Kumkum Bhagya has been an audience favourite courtesy of its intriguing plot and the authentic portrayal of relatable characters like Abhi (Shabbir Ahluwalia), Pragya (Sriti Jha), Rhea (Pooja Banerjee), Aaliya (Reyhna Pandit), Ranbir (Krishna Kaul) and Prachi (Mugdha Chapekar). While every character has a different equation with the others on the show, the whole unit shares a close-knit bond off-screen, especially Pooja Banerjee. Her negative role of Rhea Mehra might have kept her emotionally away from all the other characters on the show. But in real life, Pooja shares a very special bond with her co-stars as well as the crew on the set. As she is entering a new phase in life, Pooja has decided to take her maternity leave and bid a heartfelt goodbye to the show.
 
She has been a part of Kumkum Bhagya for almost 3 years now, and bidding goodbye has not been very easy for her. Kumkum Bhagya team, being the sweetest people they are, arranged a surprise celebration for Pooja’s last day and brought a cake for her. They danced a little, sang a little and shed some tears while giving a beautiful farewell to Pooja.
 
Talking about the same, Pooja mentioned, “I knew this day was coming but honestly I wasn’t really prepared for it. It’s overwhelming to see the amount of love pouring in from everyone on the set and I think my Kumkum Bhagya family has taken more care of me than my own family. (laughs) So, I am honestly thankful to each and every person who gave me the opportunity to play Rhea Mehra. She is a character that will always be very close to my heart.”
 
Adding further about how she spent her last day on the set, Pooja added, “I did shed a couple of tears here and there. Everyone was very upset and sad about me leaving and it was difficult for me to say goodbye to all of them. Being the sweetest people they are, they had a little surprise planned for me to celebrate my last day. We had a cake cutting celebration, we danced a little, everybody was singing, talking, crying. I made sure to thank each one of them before saying goodbye.” 
 
Well, we all will definitely miss Pooja as Rhea on the show. But there are some exciting twists and turns coming our way after Rhea finds out about Prachi’s pregnancy and tries to hide it from Ranbir during Pallavi and Vikram’s anniversary celebration. But will she be successful? Or will Ranbir finally find out the truth?
 
To find out, tune in to Kumkum Bhagya every Monday to Friday at 9 pm, only on Zee TV