'Walking Out Is Easy...': Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai Director Rishi Mandial Defends Samridhii Shukla Against 'Doormat' Female Lead Trolls

The latest track of Star Plus's Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai involved Saridhii Shukla's character Abhira returning back to Armaan's (Rohit Purohit) house. Once again fingers were pointed at her and Abhira had to face repeated humiliation from Armaan and his family. Soon after the recent episode, Samridhii Shukla's character was being dubbed "doormat female lead" by the viewers. Hitting back at the trolls, YRKKH's director Rishi Mandial called out trolls "doormat" point of view.

Appreciating Samridhii Shukla for staying in YRKKH despite its falling TRP and adapting to the changing storyline, Rishi Mandial wrote on his Instagram story, "Walking out is easy. Staying and keeping people close is true spirit." He added, "Sadly, today most people choose the easier path. Only few grown-ups understand this. Rest have their doormat point of view."

This statement came after several users took to social media to call out YRKKH’s storyline and how Samridhii’s character is being portrayed. A user shared a screenshot of Armaan throwing Abhira out of the Poddar house on a Reddit thread titled, "Tumne mujhe miss kia khadusmaan".. pathetic cringe characters with no self respect." Another user agreed, saying, "True!!! Abhira is becoming the worst female lead of yrkkh." Another questioned the actress, saying, "Koi itna doormat kaise ho sakta hai?" Others continued to label Abhira the "doormat" actress of the show.

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai Shows Gradual TRP Improvement Amid Storyline Changes

Recently, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai witnessed a significant dip in its TRP ratings. The show, which had consistently been in the Top 5 of the TRP charts, fell to the 9th position. Amid the declining viewership, the channel reportedly issued a notice asking the makers to rework the storyline ahead of the IPL season. In response, the creators revamped the plot, introducing a leap that showed Armaan and Abhira getting separated, with Abhira living alone. This twist led to a slight recovery in TRPs, with YRKKH climbing to the 7th position in Week 8.