Anchors with substance - Husein

In the last six years, Hussain Kuwajerwala has come a long way. The actor who played an aspiring film actor Chirag in Kyunki has seen his career graph rise steadily on the small screen. Chirag is history now but as Sumeet of Kumkum, Hussain is a happening actor. If fiction has contributed to his growth, reality TV has made him a bigger TV star. Today he is a very popular actor-cum-anchor, who brings a great deal of freshness, energy and warmth to his shows. Mini, on the other hand, is a television celebrity whose core strength is anchoring. As co-anchors of Indian Idol, 3 the duo not only share a strong on-screen chemistry and complement each other but they get along fabulously too.

In fact, the duo are like friends to the contestants, encouraging them, boosting their confidence and even questioning the judges on their harsh remarks. "Having participated in Nach Baliye, I know what it means to be on a competitive stage and what all one goes through. It's not easy to compete on a stage like that when millions of viewers are watching you. No matter how good you are, one bad performance and you are out of the competition. The pressure is too high and it takes a lot of confidence to remain calm, composed and give your best," says Hussain who besides sharing an excellent rapport with Mini is also a friend to all the participants. "You got to act like their friend because they need your support and encouragement before they go out to perform. It helps a lot to ease their nerves."

Mini doesn't disagree, "Most of the participants are in their teens and are performing on a platform that's too big and where the expectations are equally very high. A little bit of pep talk and a pat on their back makes them feel good. But despite them being so young they all are doing an amazing job."

If Hussain and Mini get along well with the contestants, the duo also support each other. Says Hussain, "Since I am new to Indian Idol, Mini helped me a lot initially and continues to help me to get into the flow of things. If the two anchors work in tandem it makes the job easy."

Mini is all praise for Hussain's hosting abilities, "He is very professional and puts his heart, mind and body into the job. Besides he is a pleasant person and a very nice human being. We not only get along well but also share an excellent on-screen chemistry. We don't compete with each other or step into each other's territory. There is no rivalry between us and the camaraderie sends positive vibes to viewers," says Mini who considers herself fortunate that she was called to host the third season of Indian Idol while Aman Verma was shown the exit door. "I would have been hurt had I not been asked to host the show for the third time. Having done two previous seasons, it's an honour to do the third season because besides Anu Malik, I am the only person to have been offered the job for three years in a row."

Mini started her career with acting a decade ago with Waqalat and took to anchoring right after her debut show wound up and has been enjoying it to the hilt. "TV presentation is an art and very early in my career I understood that anchoring is my core competence. I believe in doing one good show than 10 tacky shows because it helps a lot in the longevity of your career," she explains.

For Hussain anchoring is a big bonus. "I have grown both as an actor and anchor simultaneously. While doing Kyunki, I anchored Kisme Kitna Hai Dum. I was lucky enough to host shows like Khulja Sim Sim and Shabhash India," he adds.