A casual remark against legendary Bhojpuri singer Bharat Sharma allegedly led to Kalpana being shown the door.
A source says, "Bharat Sharma appeared as special guest on an episode that was aired on 19 September. Sharma was critical of a particular contestant but Kalpana didn't approve of the guest judge's opinion and asked him to refrain from making such disparaging comments. Sharma wasn't amused and so too the channel which decided to do away with Kalpana. As a result, Manoj Tiwari has now taken over as judge while Kissen is the new host."
When contacted, Kalpana rubbished the tale that she was sacked. She says,"As judges, we do have out arguments. In fact, even my co-judge Malini Avasathi has had her difference of opinion with guest judges. I'm part of Trilok Gurtu, a fusion band, and we'll be performing in Scotland next week.That's the only reason why I have to leave the show. However, I'll be there for Sur Sangram's grand finale."