Khan's sudden exit from reality show causes format change, says channel. Actor says he's not at fault

Sohail Khan has left reality TV show, Comedy Ka Maha Muqabla in the lurch, ahead of its premiere on March 19. Says a source, "CKMM is a stand-up comedy show.

The original format involved five-member teams each led by a celebrity captain. The original list had Arshad Warsi, Raveena Tandon, Shreyas Talpade, Sohail and Shekhar Suman. The format had to be changed as Khan backed out at the last minute."

Unexplained exit
Insists the source, "The channel (Star Plus) feels that when Salman's bro heard the names of the other captains, he decided to leave the show. It couldn't be his remuneration as that had been decided quite a while back.

Whatever his reasons, his sudden, unexplained exit meant that the channel couldn't find an immediate replacement. One team had to be dropped."

A channel insider says, "Sohail was one of the show's earliest selections, yet he chose to back out at the last minute. We therefore had to go ahead with four teams instead of five."

The Other Side
Sohail retorts, "It's not true. The channel approached me a couple of months back. I had liked the format but told them right then that I wouldn't be able to take it on as the dates were clashing with the Celebrity Cricket League (a tournament he is part of) and my new home production."