Daya Ben’s comeback in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah? viral promo leaves fans divided

Return of Daya Bhabhi in TMKOC

The beloved sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has long been missing a fan-favourite character—Dayaben—ever since actress Disha Vakani stepped away from the show for her maternity leave in 2017.

Viewers are still anticipating the day that Dayaben will once more appear on screen alongside Dilip Joshi's character Jethalal, despite innumerable rumours and hopeful teases from the show's creators. The casting process to find a suitable replacement for Disha Vakani in the iconic role is currently underway, as the makers have publicly acknowledged.

The latest episode of the show debuted a new actress playing Dayaben and began with the well-known musical cue "He Ji Re," which is associated with the character. The woman can be seen in the video talking on the phone and then driving. Her dress, mannerisms, and general appearance were strikingly similar to Dayaben's traditional appearance.

Toward the end, producer Asit Modi is shown stating, “We promise that Daya Bhabhi will be seen in the show soon.” The teaser ends with the bold text: “Daya is back”.

Recently, there was a lot of excitement on the internet after a purported teaser for TMKOC started making the rounds. The video, which went viral on the internet right away, seemed to signal Dayaben's eagerly awaited comeback.

The apparent return of Dayaben thrilled many long-time viewers, but others remained sceptical or conflicted, particularly devoted fans who only associate the role with Disha Vakani. Even though it's difficult to see someone else take Disha's place, some fans agreed that the new version might still give the adored character a new lease on life.

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But the thrill didn't last long. The popular teaser has since been exposed as not being an official promotional video. Instead, it was made up by combining disparate videos that were deftly edited to look real. Asit Modi apparently put an end to any lingering hopes of Disha Vakani's comeback when he stated in an interview earlier this year that the hunt for a new actress to play Dayaben is still going on.