Hussain Kuwajerwala is a familiar face on the small screen whose career took off when he began appearing in Aashirwad on Zee TV. Soon his diary was crammed with shooting schedules for soaps like Kumkum — Pyara Sa Bandhan, Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kangan, Sarhadain, Kanyadaan and Krisshna Arjun. Hussain, who’s a commerce graduate from Jai Hind College in Mumbai, earned his first salary from a modelling assignment, but has since moved away from the ramp to the small screen.

He is currently juggling between two shows — Aashirwad on Zee TV and Shaabash India on Sony TV. Eight months ago he tied the knot with Tina, his girlfriend of nine years. Currently the couple is busy rehearsing dance steps for the celebrity dance competition show Nach Baliye 2.

Wife Tina, who was Hussain’s classmate at Jai Hind College, loves spending evenings with him after they get back from their jobs. Tina designs and exports Westernwear for women at her export house, Seventh Avenue in Mumbai. She claims to be Hussain’s biggest critic and is enjoying every moment of the dance practices with him.

HUSSAIN:

It was a common friend who played Cupid for the two of us. Tina and I were classmates in Jai Hind College. This friend of ours, Satish, knew that we liked each other but were doing nothing about it. So, one day he invited both of us on the pretext of some urgent work to an ice cream parlour. As we sat down, to our surprise, he simply said, “Hussain, you love Tina and Tina, you love Hussain,” and walked out leaving the two of us in a state of shock.

Well, it took us a few minutes to recover from the shock and next we were exchanging smiles and shy glances. But it was a wonderful feeling that can’t be put into words. I was always attracted to Tina — she was someone I could talk to, joke and relate with.

Neither of us believed in having an affair just for the sake of it. Our courtship lasted for nine long years and then we married. We were sure that we’d marry each other some day. We thought we’d let our parents know about the relationship when the right time came, and that’s just what we did.

Initially, when we told them, our parents were a little apprehensive because I come from a Muslim family and Tina is a Hindu. But eventually things worked out.

Tina and I share a great understanding, but there have were times when she’s had problems with my busy schedule. Since she isn’t from the television industry, it was difficult to explain why I couldn’t give her more time. But now she understands.

I believe as individuals each couple differs, especially when it comes to habits. So do we. While Tina is more sophisticated and organised, I’m just the opposite and don’t care much about how my things are kept.

Unlike me, she’s a night person and likes to chat when I’d rather get a good night’s sleep. Also, Tina was never really an outgoing sort, but now I’ve turned her into one. With Nach Baliye 2 coming up, she is now becoming accustomed to facing the camera and learning the many other technicalities about the television industry.

TINA:

Hussain is the coolest person on earth, so much so that he has managed to tame a hyper person like me. I used to be very short-tempered earlier, but Hussain has given me every reason to relax. Though most of the girls complain that their husbands change after marriage and do not love them with the same intensity, I’d say he loves me even more now. I remember how we suppressed our feelings for each other for 18 months. Both of us liked each other, but in our heart of hearts feared that our different religions might be an issue with our parents.

I still remember the day that Satish left us in that ice cream parlour after making his announcement. We simply kept smiling at each other. We then walked to the station together and boarded the train to our homes without a word. Even on the train, we kept smiling — the people around us must have thought we’d gone mad.

Before getting down from the train, he said he’d call me after reaching home and that’s what he did. He called and said, “Look I’ll give you three options. Either we just start going around now and see what lies in store. Or we need to be dead sure that our relationship will culminate into marriage. Or lastly, let’s forget about it altogether.”

To this, I said ‘okay, let’s start and see where it goes’ and we’ve had no regrets. After marriage, every relationship changes a bit, but making it work is all about acceptance and adjustment. Of course there are times when I get irritated. Hussain just can’t keep his belongings in the right place. He wears contact lenses and always leaves the lens case open, which I hate. Similarly he never makes the bed after waking up while I like my bed perfect.

For him it is a sheer waste of time. But at the same time I also realise that everyone has his/her own way of looking at things. I can’t expect him to behave and think like me so these are a few trivial things where you have to keep your cool. When it comes to his work and performances, I think I am his biggest critic. At times I’m very blunt with him, but the best part is that he listens and pays heed to the points I make.