'i want to do film now' hussain

Hussain Kuwajerwala hasn't made an appearance on the soap opera circuit for a while now. After his role on the immensely popular Kumkum, the actor just disappeared from the scene. Busy doing the rounds of reality TV shows, he decided to take a breather from it all. He may have been away from the spotlight, but the actor was hardly taking a break. Making regular rounds of the gym, he has been working hard on his body. So the cutie is more like a hottie now!

Fortunately, his respite from the limelight didn't affect his fan following one bit. With a brand new reality show, Dance Premier League (DPL) in his kitty, this popular host has little to worry about. Especially since an online survey regards him as the 34th most handsome man in India! What more could he ask for, right!

We wondered if it was something that got him excited. Unfortunately he was pretty nonchalant, "It's great to know. Not that we really work towards something like that, so to say. But these things just happen along the way, as you begin to gain popularity. And I think the credit goes to the fans mostly. These ratings and all are thanks to the fans. Also, it is the profession that motivates you to go to the gym and work harder." So looking his best seems to be an occupational hazard for this chocolate boy!

The admiration that Hussain garners today is mainly thanks to the massive success of soap operas like Kumkum and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. In fact, his portrayal of Sumit in Kumkum won him a series of awards. But that didn't encourage him to take on any more fictional roles. After Kumkum wrapped, it seemed like the end of the road for the actor as far as the rona-dhona serials were concerned. He insists that this is all part of the plan.

"It's been intentional. Kumkum had a good run. It lasted six to seven years. I think Indian Idol got over around the same time in March. After that I took an intentional break for a bit." It is always surprising when an actor decides to take a break when he is at his peak. However, Hussain doesn't really see it that way. "I had been working continuously for quite some time. You tend to take a break and do something different sometimes, something you haven't done."

He might end up breaking a lot of hearts if he gives up on soap operas completely. Fortunately Hussain has no intentions of calling it quits for good. "It's not like I don't want to do fiction at all, I obviously do. It was just that the commitment levels were too high. And I wasn't ready to give that kind of time. So I thought of taking a break for a while. It's not like I'm never going to do it, I'm obviously going to act in soaps at some stage or the other. But as of now there's nothing in the pipeline."

With the success of their stint on Nach Baliye 2, Hussain's wife Tina also came into the spotlight. The shy gal hated the attention, but was forced to succumb to the media glare. A couple of years ago she was supposedly going to have a show of her own. In an interview she revealed that she was going to be hosting a countdown cum celebrity show. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the show went kaput and Tina never really made it in the industry. Curious about her whereabouts, we asked the doting husband for some details, but he wasn't very co-operative and dismissed the idea.

"No, she wasn't hosting anything. I have not heard anything about this. This is news to me as well." Nevertheless, Tina has acquired a substantial fan-following merely by her appearance on Nach Baliye, and thousands of viewers would gladly welcome her back on television. When we asked Hussain to comment, he seemed doubtful about the possibility but didn't completely dismiss the thought. "I've realized after Nach Baliye that Tina is quite clear about one thing ' she's fine with anything with me, but other than that she's not too keen on doing anything on TV," he revealed.

The two have been married for a long time now, and things seem to be working really well for them. It is only natural to take things a step further and create a family. Hussain pooh-poohed the idea when we brought it up. "We've just been married for about three, three and a half years now, and we've not really thought about it.

These kinds of things just happen when the time is right and when you feel like it. There's no need to plan anything. There are stages in life which come and when it has to happen it will happen. We've not made any plans that after two months or after six months or any such thing. When we both feel it is the right time, we'll plan it then."


Coming back to Hussain's career graph, after his long breather, the actor-anchor is all set to return to the small screen. Taking over the reins from Eijaz Khan, he is now hosting Sony's latest dance reality show, DPL. When we asked him for details of Eijaz's ouster, he very diplomatically passed the baton on to the channel. All he was willing to divulge was the channel's plans post the preliminary stages.

"What I was told was that they had certain plans for the auditions stage. But from the gala round onwards, things were to change. One of the changes was that I would be hosting the show. So the gala round, which is the actual competition stage, where the teams begin to compete with each other, I would be hosting. This is also the time that Rani Mukherjee will come in."

Stars apart, Hussain is quick to assert that the show's credibility also lies in its unique format. The unusual presentation of the show, however, has created quite a stir. Not everyone is as optimistic about it as the anchor. We ask him whether he believes in the elaborate format, and he offers a tirade of explanations. "Basically the entire crux of the show is dance. You can't get away from that. It is a dance-based reality show. It's just that it is presented in a different manner, but that's what makes it more interesting. And cricket being so well liked and viewed by audiences in India; it is a good mixture of dance and cricket. And obviously they've taken inspiration from the IPL. There are fixed teams that are playing against each other. Every episode has a 'match'. There are three rounds and points are given accordingly. And we mainly use cricket lingo."

Unusual it may be, but the format sounds a tad too complicated for the janta to appreciate it! Again, Hussain comes to the show's defense. "We have to try different things. I don't know about the success and failure of the show. We have to try something new and present it to the audience and see how it works. The intentions are right; we want to give the viewer something different to watch. And cricket is like another religion, people get very emotional about it. If someone told me about an idea like that I'd say it's not a bad idea. It's a pretty good one. And I don't think it's complicated at all. It's just like scoring runs."

No matter how keyed up Hussain may be to host the television show, he has his future goals clearly mapped out. True, he has conquered the small screen, but he is not one to stop there. His next ambition ' becoming the next big thing in Bollywood of course! Unfortunately it's not as easy as it seems and there aren't many takers.

"Yes, that is true. I'm really trying at my end. Not that there's anything concrete now that I'd like to talk about. Bollywood is the intention and that is what I'm working towards. I really don't know when that is going to materialize but the efforts from my side are on."

Not many people would know this, but talks were on between Hussain and actor-producer Anuj Saxena for his upcoming home production. "Because of recession and so on, things haven't really worked out. Anuj is more like a friend rather than a producer. So I know that whatever decision he is taking is for the better for everybody at that point of time. Even the film industry was going through a bad phase at that point in time. Some who had started shooting also had to stop at that time.

As of now that film has been postponed, and I really don't know when things will start again or if they will at all. Things are getting better. I think basically the faith has to come back. Once the films start doing well, and the market gets a bit better, then things this side will really start looking up. Then they'll have the faith that we're not going to lose our money. You have your passion and all of that is fine, but you can't suffer losses and make films!"

He signs off with a sigh, "I'm just trying to meet people and making all the efforts possible." Well, all in good time! We're sure it won't be long before this small screen wonder will make a big splash on the silver screen.

* By Moeena Halim