by Subhash K Jha

Did you know Eijaz Khan danced with Amrita Arora in the Dilli ki sardi item song in the film Zameen? Now he gets fan-mail by truck-loads. But has no time to go through them.

Meet Eijaz Khan, Kavya in Ekta Kapoor's Kavyanjali, he's one of the busiest and most beloved tv stars.

"And to to think that before Ekta Kapoor and Kavyanjali happened to me I used to look down on television. Now I look at soaps as serious commercial entertainment, " states the small-screen Khan.

"Now I don't have any such ambitions. I just want to act, no matter what the medium. Right now television and Ekta Kapoor are offering me so much. My new serial for Ekta—Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka—is on. I play a completely different character from Kavyanjali. What more can an actor want?."

Eijaz comes from a family of engineers, "Jahan door door tak no actors hai. Television was the last thing on my mind. I grew up in a church in Chembur. I was mother-less and not on good terms with my father. So my brother and I were close to the anglo-Indian community. I couldn't even speak Hindi properly."

Eijaz got into modeling. "And from there ad films, music videos...and then I did a couple of dances in films...I've a background in dancing.

I danced with Abhishek, Aishwarya and Gautami Gadgil for the Tumhein aaj maine jo dekha number in Rohan Sippy's Kuch Na Kaho after some other actor backed out at the last minute... Then in Dilli ki sardi in Zameen the other guy couldn't get his steps right. I stepped in."

Then the biggest tragedy of Eijaz's life happened. "During the shooting of Sohail Khan's Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, I broke my shoulder completely. And then after surgery I fell on the same shoulder. I was bed-ridden for eight months. I thought it was the end of my career—for whatever it was worth."

Because of his tough mother-less childhood it was easy for Eijaz to cope with his long period of isolation.

"In bed alone, I saw a lot of films, surfed the net to read about shoulder injuries.I think those months made me a stronger man, though movement in my shoulder is forever frozen. For a model, dancer and actor, it was quite a knock. From childhood I've suffered plenty of knocks."

Then Balajee Telefilms happened. "I was looking at a film career. Met Ken Ghosh for Ishq Vishq, etc. I was offered Kul Vadhu which became Koi Dil Mein Hai. When I was leaving Balajee office Ekta saw me and offered an exclusive contract.

I started with Kahiin To Hoga, then I did Kesar. I was soon shooting non-stop for thirty hours. But it's Kavyanjali which was a learning ground. All my co-stars helped me a lot."

He's uncomfortable with talking about being a last-minute replacement on Kavyanjali. "Rakshak Sahni was doing it. I saw the first five episodes and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Rakshak was raw. I had already done five Balajee soaps."

Eijaz is bothered by the addiction to soaps. "I keep telling the insistent fans that I'm not Kavya and that they musn't lose precious time to watch soaps. But they don't listen. But yes, I'm glad for the popularity that tv gives.

Yes, I get lots of e-mails, though I don't know where the females are. I go home only for four hours to freshen up and come back on the sets. I don't use the phone during shooting.

My social life is nil. But after night falls my phone doesn't stop ringing. Because that's when it's decent hour in the UK and US. I get all kinds of offers. The fans have even come down to Mumbai to meet me. Most of my fans are kids. The females I avoid. Because they get a little naughty sometimes."

He admits to being lonely. "But after two years of no work, I enjoy being crowded with work and no time for anything else. After a broken shoulder a broken heart is the least of my problems.

I can't thank Balajee and television enough. I've seen my friends working while I was in bed recovering. I used to wonder, why me? Finally though, God has been kind. Now I've two dailies on my plate."

Now he crosses swords with the other Khan on Kavyanjali. "Yes Iqbal is on the show. And we've lots of dramatic scenes together. But no rivalry. Some insecurity, yes..because one gets replaced on soaps at a snap of a finger.

I know how life can deal a blow. In fact I stepped into Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka after Hiten Tejwani said no. But we TV actors don't come from that grand a background to fight about our stardom.

Hiten is like my elder brother and idol. I had heard how he used to go off to sleep while the whole unit would be looking for him. But now I know that feeling. When you work for thirty years you just want to sleep."

Eijaz's love life is on hold. "I had someone very close to me whom I never spoke about because she wasn't from the industry. There was just no time for a relationship. When you have pinpricks in your eyes after work all you think about is some sleep, not a relationship. We tried to make it work. I miss her sometimes. But all isn't lost."