Television heart-throb Hiten Tejwani turns stage casanova

Hiten Tejwani during the rehearsal of I Love You 2 in Andheri East PicSatej ShindeWhen playwright Sanjay Jha started working on the script of I Love You 2 he was sure that only television actor Hiten Tejwani could pull off the protagonists role that of a smart alec with two wives They wanted someone who looks innocent but is not And apparently I fit the bill Though for me the thought of having two wives is unthinkable laughs Tejwani who is married to former model and television actress Gauri PradhanAfter a hiatus from theatre Tejwani will return to stage in a Hindi drama Titled I Love You 2 its a smart comedy about the lives of Kishan Hiten Tejwani and his two wives mdash the obedient and devoted Meera Toral Rasputra and the sassy Maria Falguni RajaniIts a sweltering Wednesday afternoon when we meet Tejwani at Andheris Orchid Hall where he has been rehearsing since 7 am But theres hardly a hint of exhaustion Thats because I love theatre and I began my career with it 17 years ago he tells usHiten Tejwani during the rehearsal of I Love You 2 in Andheri East PicSatej ShindeIn the play Tejwani plays a Mumbai cabbie who wants the best of both worlds with Meera the first wife who lives at Pedder Road and Maria the second wife who stays at Walkeshwar But trouble erupts when he goes missing The play takes a hilarious turn when he finds himself hopelessly entangled in a muddle and must find a way out Given the nature of the subject the rehearsals too have been a laugh riot We crack up on stage because of all the jokes he says The camaraderie between the actors is smooth since hes shared the stage with most of them in the past In fact he was seen with Toral Rasputra Anandi in the popular soap Balika VadhuEarlier this year Tejwani along with Rakhi Tandon Ruhanna Khan Vishal Vashishtha and Sushmita Mukherjee had to bid adieu to the soap Gangaa due to a revamp in the storyline While the show was doing fabulously the makers felt they wanted a whole new star cast to take the story ahead So they replaced the entire family It was a creative decision and I respect that he says The silver lining was that it allowed Tejwani to return to theatre which he had put on the back burner Theatre requires singleminded commitment You need to rehearse over and over again because there are no retakes here When television offers started coming my way I couldnt devote that kind of time to it he says Moreover the opportunity to be part of a comedy was exciting Ive always been offered serious intense roles But I love comedy and I dabbled in it when I was doing theatre Tejwani however had to polish his comic timing and that was possible only with practice We did several play readings to understand the character and then moved to rehearsing on stageAfter premiering on March 11 at Bhaidas Auditorium it will see consecutive shows on March 12 and 13 at Bandras Rang Sharda and Sophia Auditorium at Pedder Road For now Im going to concentrate on theatre and will take up television only if I find a role that truly excites me he says