Rupal Patel essayed the role of stern and meticulous matriarch Kokila Ben in the daily soap Saath Nibhaana Saathiya. The actress’ relationship with her daughter-in-law Gopi Bahu formed the central narrative of the show and attracted viewers. Despite the turbulent relationship between the characters on-screen, Rupal and Gia Manek (who originally essayed the role of Gopi Bahu) shared a cordial relationship off-screen. In a new interview, Patel recalls her reaction when she got to know that Gia was being replaced on the show. 

Rupal Patel says she was not aware of the cast changes in Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 

In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Rupal Patel reminisces about the show Saath Nibhaana Saathiya which earned her massive popularity as Kokila Ben. She expressed gratitude to the viewers for accepting her as the character and giving her love for many years. She then recalled the tough time when Gia Manek decided to leave the show to take part in a reality show and stated that she got to know about the development only after a new promo was shot. 

She recalled the promo line was “Kalakaar badal jaate hain par kirdaar wahi rehte hain (The actors change but the characters remain the same).” Patel recalled being moved to tears when she came to know about the replacement. She mentioned enquiring about the same with the show makers who informed her about Devoleena stepping in as Gopi Bahu. Patel said, “I was crying aur Star Plus se bhi kuch log aaye the ek press conference ke liye (And some people from Star Plus also came for a press conference) I could not speak to the press.” 

Rupal Patel recalls ‘accepting’ Devoleena Bhattacharjee as Gopi Bahu 

In the same conversation, Rupal mentioned that even though she was moved about knowing that Gia Manek has backed out from the show, she accepted Devoleena with open arms. She shared, “Kalakaar badal jaate hain par kirdaar wahi rehte hain (The actors change but the characters remain the same).” 

Rupal also mentioned that she thinks Gia should not have quit the show. She recalled talking to her mother even after she was no longer a part of Saath Nibhaana Saathiya. The Hindi-drama daily soap premiered in 2010 and is one of the longest-running shows in the history of Indian television.