Sharad Kelkar criticized for 27-year age gap with co-star in Tum Se Tum Tak; Netizens react, "This is beyond disgusting"

Sharad Kelkar, who is returning to the small screen after a break with TV show, Tum Se Tum Tak is currently facing backlash for the concept of his new show. The actor is facing negative criticism for taking on a role in a daily soap that revolves around a love story between his 46-year-old character and a 19-year-old girl, played by Niharika Choksey, stirring controversy over the significant age gap.
The channel dropped the promo of the show, Tum Se Tum Tak featuring Sharad and Niharika on Sunday and ever since then the internet has been buzzing with comments showing their disapproval due to the 27 years age gap.
The promo starts with Niharika's on-screen mother praying to God that her daughter finds a suitable groom who earns well and has his own house. Niharika's character is shown to be from a middle-class family while on the other hand, Sharad plays a rich business tycoon, who has achieved everything in life but doesn't have a companion. His mother pushes him for marriage but he turns down the idea of marriage.
The promo ends with a scene where Niharika's character watches in awe as Sharad's private helicopter soars above. A voice-over teases the unexpected yet inevitable romance between them.
Netizens have expressed their disapproval for the storyline and many have taken to social media to show their disappointment and concern. Some people have criticized Sharad for joining the show, saying that the large age gap in the love story feels unrealistic and problematic.
A social media user wrote, "They are showing anything... 19 years and 46 years is a bit too much. Even if they had kept it to 35, it would have been fine. But this pairing has no appeal to me.” Another wrote, “Why is it always the girl who's younger and the boy who's older? It's always the same topic and logic."
Few netizens blamed Sharad. "What bothers me is that how this Sharad agreed to do something like this," one social media user commented, while another questioned, “I did not expect this from him. Why did he agree to do this?"
A fan wrote, “This is the age gap between my dad and my elder sister. What the f are they doing? (sic)." Another user exclaimed, “This is beyond disgusting".
Expressing concern, a user wrote, “Why promote such thing even! People start normalizing things in the villages."
As per reports Tum Se Tum Tak is a remake of hit Marathi show, Tula Pahate Re.