Tejasswi Prakash Wayangankar*AT#32 -- Tum Jiyo Hazaro Saal - Page 10

She may be all of 23, but Tejasswi Prakash is very sure about what she wants from life. And love.

In an industry where relationships are common between co-stars, the actress says that she doesn't believe in mixing work with matters of the heart. She elaborates, "I don't entertain anybody on the set, so getting involved with someone at work is impossible. In fact, I don't even approve of people flirting or joking with me. I don't have to date my co-actor to get the chemistry right. Where's the need for that? As an artiste, all I need to do is emote in front of the camera; I don't have to replicate that in my real life. Most people find me intimidating and I am proud of that."

Tejasswi recalls how, on her previous show, a co-actor was dissuaded by another colleague from approaching her. She says, "He told my co-star that wooing me would be a sheer waste of time. You see, I want to take the lead in these matters; the choice should be mine."
While she wants to take the lead in romance, the actress says that she is no hurry. "Every relationship needs time. I don't want to be committed and then not have time for the guy. Also, I don't like the idea of working after leaving my baby at home," she says.

When pointed out that there were rumours of her dating her Swaragini co-actor Namish Taneja and also a pilot, she explains, "I am single for now. I had to actually announce that Namish was like a brother to shut the gossipmongers.

Well, she needn't fear rumours this time around, as her 'male lead' in the TV show Pehredaar Piya Ki is a 10-year-old child artiste, Affan Khan. The two will even get married on screen. Tejasswi says, "It's easier to be paired opposite an actor your age as you can visualise certain sequences. But how does one do that with a child? Affan called me didi when he first met me. The makers then instructed him to call me by my character's name and not look at me as an elder sister. I, too, was told not to treat him like a kid."

While the task is definitely daunting, Tejasswi says that Affan's thorough professionalism is a helping them sail through smoothly. "He was quite excited during the shoot of our reel marriage. He thinks I am a beautiful bride, but has just one contention his wife shouldn't have been taller than him (laughs)."