TV has a lot of 'one show wonder' stars: Hiten Tejwani
Hiten Tejwani won many hearts for his portrayal of Karan Virani in the longest running soap opera 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'. He again grabbed eyeballs when he started playing the role of Manav Deshmukh (in place of Sushant Singh Rajput) in yet another successful soap, 'Pavitra Rishta'. His long telly journey which has its share of both fiction and reality shows speaks of success and recognition.
It's easy to strike a conversation with Hiten and he's happy to look back. "I would say my journey has been upward. I have been lucky to do different shows. I have a fundamental principle in life β one just has to work hard. The television industry requires lots of patience. It has long working hours and sometimes there's long period of no work too."
It wouldn't be wrong to label him as a 'replacement actor' but he takes it in the right spirit. "It's a challenge to get into the shoes of an actor who has already carved a niche for himself in the soap and gained much recognition. When I got into the character of Manav in Pavitra Rishta initially there was lot of apprehension. But I've faith in my ability and that worked."
He has seen the television industry's growth even as he himself has climbed up in his career ladder. Does he think that all is well on the TV front now? "Viewers are now more open and good content is always appreciated. The TV industry earlier had seen a lot of herd mentality, but now TV is changing for the better. All the big film stars are now coming on TV for some show or the other as they are realising the potential of the medium."
He laughs and adds, "In the initial years when I joined TV, people used to ask me 'didn't you get anything better to do?" Now people come to me with their babies asking for roles."
He's candid enough to admit that "Most of the soaps are female centric, but to have a twist and turn in the story, you need a strong male protagonist. In that way, the male actors always have something strong in their kitty." What prompted him to anchor Savdhaan India? "Getting connected with the audiences as Hiten Tejwani not as any other character gives me a real high."
In an industry which now sees a lot of young actors, how about competition? "Yes, the competition is fierce. We have to be on our toes. Some young actors want to copy their seniors. There are many 'one show wonder' actors on TV," he says.
Actors like Sushant Singh Rajput, Barun Sobti, Vishal Karwal and Hussain Kuwajerwala are now looking at Bollywood as their destination. What about his Bollywood aspirations? "I'd love to have a bigger canvas as an actor. I want more work and I am greedy as an actor. But I will never go away from television completely. TV has given me lots."
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