I Don't Think I was Meant for a Show Like Bigg Boss, Says Former Contestant Hiten Tejwani

TV ideal son-in-law Hiten Tejwani, who has starred in Ekta Kapoor's popular soaps like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kutumb and Kasautii Zindagii Kay, celebrates his 46^th birthday today. While he's certainly not forgotten, Hiten shared with us in a candid chat that it was a conscious decision to go on a break and take some time off.

He says that since one commits to a show, "You don't get time to do anything else. There's no other life and you're working 30 days a month and 12 hours a day. I have done various roles so I am looking forward to doing something different." Hiten says until there's a new character and a challenging role that comes his way, he will stay off the screen. Last seen in Zee TV's Haiwaan: The Monster in a cameo, Hiten says that the emergence of OTT platforms also has a part to play when it comes to waiting for the right kind of character. "From the time we started working on TV to now, the audience has become lesser comparatively. Those days we heard of TRP rates of 23 and even 24 pointers. Now we hear 2.1, 2.3 and we go Wow! A show with a 2.4 TRP rate is now considered a hit show," he says. But the actor also feels that the shift is not worrisome and people still look forward to catching their shows on television sets.

Explaining the same, Hiten says, "There has been a shift, but TV is the main source of entertainment. The kind of difference between OTT and TV audience is that streaming platforms are used by people who are on the go always, have access to the internet and also they are the ones aware of platforms such as Netflix and Amazon. The TV audience still prefers to watch the news on TV. There's always a way the audience gets hooked to these shows in one way or the other."

"The whole idea about good actors will always be there," he adds.

A Bigg Boss 12 contestant himself, Hiten also appeared as a guest on the 13^th season of the reality show as a guest. When asked about his views on winner Sidharth Shukla, he said, "I was always rooting for Sidharth Shukla. He always had an advantage because he was a known TV face. People have known and liked him since Balika Vadhu. Yeah, there were both sides of the coin to him, good and bad, but people voted for him as the winner ultimately. At the end of the day, this is what matters."

Hiten had also been vocal about the happenings inside the house and had appreciated how Asim Riaz, the show's runner up, was slowly working his way to fame during his stint. On Asim, he says, "Nobody knew Asim but now people have started looking at him and liking him. He must have really done great to have earned the runner up title. Now people definitely know Asim, and will know what he does." Looking back at his own journey on the show, Hiten feels he was never meant for it since his calm composure does not fit the concept. "Bigg Boss is not for people like me. Any person who is calm and composed won't do because they want more out of them to get a reaction at the end of the day. But I will not change overnight for the sake of the show because people know me. I won a lot of hearts and love of people on the show which is the best part."

Talking about his birthday plans, the actor is out of town with his family and will have a silent birthday. "If I was in town, there could have been a surprise or a dinner. But this time, there isn't anything yet," he signs off.

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