Shivani Tomar out; Sonia Balani to play the female lead in Mere Nikatthu on Star Plus

Shashi-Sumeet Productions’ Mere Nikatthu for Star Plus has finally found its female lead!! Yes, and we are not talking about Shivani Tomar (seen in Pavitra Rishta) who had gone on to replace Amrita Rao in the big-budget show. Well, the news coming in is that Tomar has been shown the door, as per the channel’s call. A well-placed source associated with the show told us, “Shivani Tomar and Priyansh Jora of 24 fame were finalized to play the lead roles in this show loosely based on the Govinda-Karishma Kapoor starrer Raja Babu. The shoot had also begun with Tomar shooting for few episodes. However, things had come to a halt when the channel decided to look for more options when it came to the female lead. And now, they have found their perfect face for the protagonist.” Well, the girl bagging the prized role is none other than Pihu of Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, Sonia Balani. It is sheer coincidence that one actress from the Balaji Telefilms unit has replaced the other (Tomar and Sonia being seen in Pavitra Rishta and Bade Achhe respectively). The source further clarifies, “Sonia fits the role of the lead girl perfectly. With the female lead found, the show will once again resume shoot. The unit is planning to go for their outdoor schedule by this month end.” We tried contacting Sonia, but she did not respond to our messages. We tried reaching out to Producer Sumeet Mittal, but he did not revert to our calls and messages. We tried buzzing the channel spokesperson too, but did not get any confirmation. Watch this space for more exclusive updates.