He may have acted in some of small screen's best known shows, but actor Hiten Tejwani, who recently opened a multi-cuisine restaurant in Mumbai, says a career in acting is not enough to guarantee a secure future and one needs business backing as well.
"My idea of opening a restaurant was important. The whole point is that I couldn't have been totally dependent on acting for my income...even though I want to remain in the field of entertainment forever," Hiten said while he was at Jaipur while shooting for Ratan Ka Rishta.
The actor's restaurant, Barcode O53, opened recently in Mumbai's suburb Andheri West.
"It's great to have something to fall back upon. I don't come from a business family; so I thought of starting something so that my kids also have some backing in future," said Hiten, who is married to small screen actress Gauri Tejwani.
According to industry sources, an actor of Hiten's calibre can be paid anything between Rs.35,000 and 50,000 a day for a fiction show.
Despite these figures, a major reason behind Hiten's decision to enter the new business was the fear of reaching a stage where he would have to accept roles just for the sake of earning his bread and butter.
"In an acting career, you need to reach a stage where you can say 'Thank you very much, I can't do this role because I have done this before or I don't like it'. But in case you don't have any offers, you'll have to give in.
"I don't want to reach that stage because if you don't like what you're doing, it clearly shows on screen. I don't want to act just to run my house. So before I ever reach that stage, I opened this restaurant as my backing," said Hiten, who is in his early 30s.
Hiten, who became a popular name with roles in shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kutumb, is currently hosting Imagine TV's Ratan Ka Rishta.
The actor also intends to take up direction some time later in life.
"I am very passionate about my career... I am charged up all the time whenever I am on the sets and I love my job. I also want to take up direction in future, but that will come at a later stage of course... after I assist someone properly," he said.
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