MRS.Tendulkar is not Gay or Pansy-Deven

"MRS. TENDULKAR IS NOT GAY OR PANSY"

DEVEN BHOJANI IS NOT YOUR CONVENTIONAL ACTOR AND YET HE HAS MANAGED TO MAKE HIS PRESENCE FELT ON THE SMALL SCREEN. AFTER DIRECTING AND ACTING IN THE ALL-TIME FAVOURITE COMEDY SHOW SARABHAI VS SARABHAI, IT WAS HIS PORTRAYAL OF GATTU IN BAA BAHOO AUR BABY THAT TOUCHED MANY HEARTS.

Currently portraying the role of a 'house' husband in the show Mrs. Tendulkar, the man has managed to wow the audience once again. Showtime caught up with the multi-talented Deven for a quick chat.

The rising popularity of Mrs. Tendulkar has brought Deven in the reckoning once again. "We are getting a phenomenal response," he smiles, "The TRPs of the first episode were record breaking. It makes me really happy and all the more excited to be working on this show." It's only natural for an actor to turn down a role that requires him to play a house husband. Deven, however, insists that though he was shocked at first, taking up this role was a well-thought out decision. "After Baa... got over, I took a break and went to LA to study film direction. When I came back, I got about 18 offers, some for directing while others for acting. But none of them were satisfying. That's when JD Majethia came up to me and offered me Mrs...," he pauses, "He said that he had a show in mind and that he wanted me to play the lead. When he told me that I had to play Mrs. Tendulkar, I was taken aback. But I heard the script and that was it. I didn't need anything more. This offer was all that I was waiting for. I instantly knew that my audiences would love me in this role."

Since he's mentioned JD Majethia, I'm curious to know about his friendship with the producer cum actor. Considering most relationships in this industry are unsteady, how has he managed to keep his friendship intact? "Professionally, we've worked together many times. We've been friends for the last 25 years. In fact, we're more than brothers to each other. That's why there's a comfort level. At the same time, we're open to working with other people too. I always see the role and the script, irrespective of who offers me the show. It's just that co-incidentally the best scripts have come from him."

For a long time there's been a buzz that JD Majethia and Deven are planning to make a film on the popular Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. Is that true? "We are still trying to work out the details. We definitely were thinking about it seriously a while ago, but as of now we've put that on hold. I am aware that fans are eagerly awaiting the movie. So we will give it a serious thought, after a couple of months, maybe," asserts the versatile artiste.

Coming back to Mrs. Tendulkar, barring its recent popularity, many have criticized his character, which is that of a henpecked husband. Deven begs to differ, "Mrs. Tendulkar is not gay or pansy. He's a metrosexual man who takes up household responsibilities so that he can help his wife build her career. That does not mean my character doesn't have any substantial work. I play a writer for a daily soap who works from home. I am not living off my wife's money just because I operate from home and have chosen to do household chores," he retorts.

The actor further goes on to label his show as modern. He says, "The concept of the show is very modern and liberal. It goes into husband-wife relationships. According to me, if the wife loves to pursue dance or music, her man should allow her to do so. Similarly, if the husband has a passion for cricket, the wife shouldn't nag him. Instead, she should serve him a cup of tea when he's watching cricket. In the show, there are neighbours who feel that he is a house husband and start mocking him by calling him Mrs. Tendulkar. But he's not ashamed of that."

On the personal front, Deven has always kept mum about his personal life. No wonder then that very few people know he is a married man. Now that he's the perfect husband on screen, one wonders if he's the same man off screen too. "To be honest, I was far from doing household work till this show happened," he admits, "But of course, I share a very good rapport with my wife and have always encouraged her to do things. She's fond of dance, so I've supported her on that. After the telecast of the first episode, she casually told me to try my hand at making breakfast. I laughed at it, but eventually agreed to do so. I took the upma recipe from her and asked her to leave me alone in the kitchen. Turns out, I made saltless and tasteless upma. But the good part is that she happily ate it."

Comedy is the genre that has given him all the name and fame he has today. And he has more or less done only comedy roles till date. Is that an indication that he only plans to stick to this genre? "I may have been tagged a comedian but I think I can play different roles too. My character Gattu in Baa... made people laugh and at the same time emotionally stirred them up. I have got calls from people saying that 'Gattu ne khaana nahi khaaya, mera beta bhi khaana khaye bina so gaya.' So I must admit that it created a huge impact on people," he says contentedly, "There was an episode where Gattu got lost. At the time, one lady called up saying that her mother-in-law had walked till Siddhivinayak mandir and prayed for Gattu to come back. So surprisingly, my comical roles have made an emotional bond with people."

Just recently, the actor was also in the news for declining the coveted dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. "I had very much agreed to give it a shot but the money aspect didn't work out," he says frankly. "I had even started researching for the show, but I had to turn it down."

That clearly means he's open to doing reality shows, right? "I'm certainly open to doing them. I don't mind doing a Bigg Boss too. Even though I'm a private person, I'd say yes to a show like that if I am not too busy. It would also depend on my mental state at that moment," he ends confidently.

So many years in the industry and the actor is still as gung-ho about his ventures as he was when he first stepped in. That's Deven Bhojani for you, the true showman of television.