Actor Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal has revealed that during her pregnancy in 2013, she had pleaded with the makers of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah to retain her in the show — but her request was turned down. Speaking to Pinkvilla, Jennifer also shared that the show’s producers had, in contrast, gone to great lengths to persuade Disha Vakani (who played the beloved Dayaben) to return after her maternity break, but to no avail.

Jennifer, who played Roshan Daruwala Kaur Sodhi, recalled that she was around four and a half months pregnant when she made a request to producer Asit Modi not to remove her from the show. “Mai haath paon jod rahi thi meri pregnancy ke time ki mujhe vaapis aana hai,” she said. “Inn log Disha ke samne haath paon jod rahe the… itne time tak uske haath paon jode hai… voh nahi aayi toh nahi aayi (They begged Disha for a long time, but she simply didn’t return).”

When asked if Disha’s exit had anything to do with a toxic work environment, Jennifer clarified that the actor had left due to pregnancy. In fact, Disha continued shooting even during her ninth month, and special arrangements were made for her. “Usko seedhi chadhna mana tha… toh ek stretcher jaisa tha, uspe bitha ke upar le jaate the,” Jennifer added, explaining how Disha was carried upstairs to shoot indoor scenes.

Jennifer was associated with Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah from 2008–2013 and again from 2016–2023. Over the years, the show has seen several exits, including Bhavya Gandhi, Shailesh Lodha, Neha Mehta, Nidhi Bhanushali, Gurucharan Singh, and Jheel Mehta, among others.