Chennai, Feb 20 (IANS): Citing date issues, actor Kamal Haasan has excused himself from hosting the remaining episodes of the popular televison reality show 'Bigg Boss Ultimate'.

In a statement, Kamal said, " The pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and restrictions rightly imposed by the government has created disarray and has constrained us to reschedule the production and the post production of our forthcoming film 'Vikram'.

"We had so far meticulously planned to ensure that the production schedule of 'Vikram' does not affect my commitments to Bigg Boss, a show that is very close to my heart. So much so, I did not let any personal discomfort I might have had after I was personally down with Covid," he said.

The actor further said, "The reschedule of the production activities for Vikram that were forced on account of lockdowns and restrictions imposed have unavoidably resulted in overlap of dates required to be allotted for Bigg Boss Ultimate.

"Considering the fact that some more days of the shoot are left to complete the scenes which have the combination of some of the most prominent stars and technicians of the film industry, it has become practically impossible to manage both 'Vikram ' and 'Bigg Boss' together. It would be unfair to make such eminent stars and technicians wait for me ,considering their schedules and other commitments. Consequently, I am now constrained to opt out of this season of Bigg Boss Ultimate after February 20."

The actor said, " I had a free and fair discussion with the management of Vijay TV and as always, the management has been most supportive and cooperative. I am overwhelmed and touched by their understanding on the constraints resulting out of this pandemic and consequent restrictions forcing me to exit from the remaining episodes of Bigg Boss Ultimate. Till I meet you again in Season 6 of Bigg Boss, my best wishes to you all."