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Working in entertainment is a gruelling task, especially on the silver screen and daily soaps. On several occasions TV actors have talked about the tough schedules they had to endure to meet the deadlines, and actor Hiten Tejwani is the latest to do so. During a recent interview, Tejwani admitted that he has worked himself into the ground for the past 25 years and how the journey of a television actor is a very difficult one. However, he added that it has been fruitful as his longevity proves it.
To celebrate a quarter of a century in the industry, Tejwani sat down to talk with Siddharth Kannan on the latter’s podcast. He talked about his early days, his financial and professional growth, and how tough it was for the people around him to adjust to his schedule.
“I have worked very hard all throughout the 25 years that I have been a part of this industry. When I started working, the only time I went home was to just freshen up. I hired many drivers, and they all ran away because they couldn’t handle my hours. I used to drive myself, and I would constantly doze off while driving. One day I even hit the car into a divider, but nothing happened by the grace of God,” recalled Tejwani.
He continued and revealed that his fees as an actor did not change for many years. He said, “I used to get Rs 1000 a day for Sukanya, and we used to shoot for 12 days in a month. Similarly, I did not demand a lot when I worked in Kutumb, and even though I was the main lead, my fees didn’t go up by much.” However, Tejwani reminisced about the first big cheque he ever received, after he had worked 30 double shifts for a straight month.
He said, “For 30 days, I did 30 extra shifts, and I remember going to get the cheque myself. The cheque was for Rs 1 lakh, and it made me so happy. I thought to myself that if I had gone towards a traditional job, my hours would have been easier, but there is no telling how long I would have had to wait for reaching a figure like that.” But Tejwani admitted that even though the pay was good, the hours were extremely unpredictable and things would never run on time.
Explaining what double shift in TV works, the actor explained, “Our schedule would always say 9 am to 9 pm, but it would always end up going to 5 am, and then our next shift would sometimes start at 7 am. So I ended up working for 22 hours. Some of the crew members used to take down the lights on purpose so that I could get some sleep, and I used to sleep right there on the floor of the set,” said Tejwani.
After telling the story of his struggle, Tejwani asked about Deepika Padukone’s exit from films like Spirit and Kalki 2898 AD sequel. When asked whether he thought Deepika was right to demand 8-hour-long shifts, he replied, “Now you can’t work nonstop. The cameras that are available now will catch everything, and if someone isn’t well rested, it will show on the screen. I think it’s very important to balance between your work and your personal life. She’s a mother, and it is good that she is being very clear on her work schedule. Some people say yes while signing the contract, and they will later create problems on the set.”
Earlier, TV actor, who was also the face of a daily TV show, had opened up about gruelling schedules in TV industry, “I used to shoot for 72 hours straight, without a break. After working a 30-day schedule, I used to get payment for 45 days, and that is because my first shift used to be from 7 in the morning to 7 in the evening, and the second shift was from 7 in the evening to 2 am in the morning.”
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