Love's ways are truly strange! The small screen's hit pair, Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan, fell in love in real life too and tied the knot last year. They narrate their love story to SRABANTI CHAKRABARTI.
Their love story was a soap opera in more ways than one. The duo met for the first time while shooting for a soap commercial. They came close to each other during the making of another soap (Kutumb). And, finally entered the nuptial bond, while their pair was at the zenith of popularity of another soap (Kyun Ki Sans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi)!
It seems, the chemistry of love and the physics of attraction were working overtime with Gauri Pradhan and Hiten Tejwani a.k.a. Nandini and Karan of Kyun Ki Sans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. How else could one explain the two coming together, when there were very few things similar between the couple?
Says Hiten, "It was definitely not love at first sight for us. The first time we met during the shooting for a soap commercial, we hardly spoke to each other. Our exchanges were limited to pleasantries."
"At that point in time, Hiten was just a co-worker and nothing else," says the tall and gorgeous Gauri, while chatting with Hiten on the sets of Kyun Ki Sans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. In fact, after their initial ad shoot together, both went their own ways without even keeping in touch. Till Ekta Kapoor cast them as the lead couple in her mega-serial Kutumb.
Probe further, and you'll find Gauri blush, "I could understand that Hiten wanted to talk to me, but I restrained myself. But I must admit that when I saw him on the sets of Kutumb on the first, I did feel comfortable. I felt nice that I would be doing the daily soap with someone I knew. He was, at least, not a stranger." Though the lead couple went on shooting for Kutumb regularly, they never came close to each other in the first six months. "We worked like thorough professionals - came on time, shot for the episodes and went back home on time," clarifies Gauri.
Cupid struck in true filmi style when Hiten fell ill on a day during a shot. "I was running a temperature and she somehow realised that. Immediately Gauri called me and enquired how I was planning to go back. I told her that I would drive back home," recollects Hiten. The caring Gauri took over at this point and told Hiten - nothing doing, her driver would go and drop him home. "There was something in the way she said it…I couldn't say no. To be frank, that is when I understood - Gauri nursed some special feelings for me."
So what happened next? All you get in response to this question is charming and shy smiles in return from the popular couple. "It just happened…" is what both of them have to say.
But what made this happen? This time the answer is not so vague. Says Hiten, "Gauri is like a coconut - hard from outside, but soft inside. She looks as if she is very snob, but deep down she has a golden heart. That is what attracted me towards her." Gauri adds her bit immediately, "Hiten is a genuine guy and is friendly with everybody - be it the spot boy or the director. He is liked by everybody and tries to do good for everyone. And in the process suffers a lot. But that is how he is. Primarily, it was this genuineness that appealed to me."
"Actually, there was one more reason why I married her. Gauri's mother cooks amazingly tasty fish curry. And I really love fish. So…" Hiten adds with a childish smile.
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