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The new Aamir in Bollywood
The Sujal of small screen has graduated to the big screen and from what it seems like the heartthrob of television doesn't want to return to the idiot box. Rajeev Khandelwal sounds clearly confident about his first feature film Aamir where he fortunately gets to play the title lead and at the same time is humble enough about his standing. In an exclusive conversation with Gaurav Malani, the actor speaks about the exhausting experience of his first film where he is on the run throughout.
From television to films, how different do you find the two mediums of performing?
I believe the difference comes in terms of the perception of the audiences. For me acting is same, whether in films or in television. Of course the technique is different as in the way of shooting et al. A film thankfully has a definite end unlike television soaps which go on and on. But it's primarily about your attitude towards the medium.
How did Aamir happen to you?
I think it was all destined. Anurag Kashyap sees me on television. Director Rajkumar Gupta approaches me. UTV comes into picture. It is all like a cosmic connection.
Even the tagline of the film raises the question on 'whether you choose your destiny, or does destiny choose you'
From television to films, how different do you find the two mediums of performing?
I believe the difference comes in terms of the perception of the audiences. For me acting is same, whether in films or in television. Of course the technique is different as in the way of shooting et al. A film thankfully has a definite end unlike television soaps which go on and on. But it's primarily about your attitude towards the medium.
How did Aamir happen to you?
I think it was all destined. Anurag Kashyap sees me on television. Director Rajkumar Gupta approaches me. UTV comes into picture. It is all like a cosmic connection.
Even the tagline of the film raises the question on 'whether you choose your destiny, or does destiny choose you'
Aamir is an average looking guy and perhaps that's the reason the makers chose me for the title role
Tell us about your character and the story of the film?
I play a very common Indian, just like anyone of us. Aamir is an average looking guy and perhaps that's the reason the makers chose me for the title role (laughs). This guy comes from nowhere and the film is about his journey through the lanes of Mumbai where he is absolutely clueless on what's happening to him and his life.
The film seems to be set in the narrow lanes of Mumbai. Where did you shoot for the film?
We shot the film in actual locations and Muslim dominated areas of Mumbai like Dongri, Bandra, Chor Bazaar and Nana Chowk. We wanted to capture the real essence of these areas and so had to shoot in real locations. Aamir totally sticks to realism so much so that I have shot sans any makeup for the film.
The film seems to be shot on the run. How exhausting was the experience?
I am on the run through the entire course of the film and by the time we completed, I ended up losing a couple of kgs. There was no respite. In fact I also put off a lot of colour while running in broad daylight. However my director loved the tanning effect as it worked as a transition for my character through the film. But when I see the final cut today, all the exhaustion comes as a completely satisfying experience for me.
I was clueless about the camera angles since at most instances the camera was out of my vision
Was there a lot of crowd management to be done by the production team since the major film seems to be shot outdoors?
There was a lot of excitement amongst the bystanders, some of who did recognize me coming from TV. But even otherwise shooting in the crowded lanes of Mumbai wasn't an easy task. You won't believe but for many scenes we used hidden cameras for shooting. In fact to avoid commotion, even I was hidden in many scenes. Our assistant directors and production guys would mix up in the crowds and then I would smuggle in the scenes. This was a very novel approach for me.
Coming from the medium of television we were very much aware of the cameras hovering around us on the sets. But while shooting for Aamir, I was even clueless about the camera angles since at most instances the camera was out of my vision. I also had no idea about the magnification of the frames. However this made me less camera conscious which resulted in a more natural performance.
We had to resort to such shooting techniques as we couldn't afford retakes. Not because we had limited cans but because we couldn't afford to re-shoot sequences amidst crowds in broad daylight.
There were no date problems as they only required me for the entire schedule
Is it true that you have no female paired opposite you in Aamir?
Yes. It's true. There is no heroine because the film doesn't demand one.
Who form the supporting cast of the film?
I wouldn't call them as supporting actors as they are more seasoned actors than me. There are a lot of theatre artists in the film like Gajraj Rao, Jhilmil and even Shashank Ghosh who directed the film Waisa Bhi Hota Hai , some years back.
How long did it take to complete the film?
Since the whole film revolves around Aamir, they only required my dates for the entire shoot. And with Rajeev Khandelwal doing nothing else, there were no date problems (laughs). So it was a start-to-end schedule and we shot in one go. A part of the film is also shot in London where the film starts. Apart from the London shoot, the entire Mumbai schedule was completed in around 30 days.
When I met Rajkumar Gupta for the first time I was sceptical and wondered what this small guy who doesn't speak much had to offer
Enlighten us on debutante director Rajkumar Gupta
Rajkumar Gupta, as you all might know, was an assistant to Anurag Kashyap on Black Friday and No Smoking . But frankly speaking when I met him for the first time I was quite sceptical about him. I wondered what this small guy who doesn't speak much had to offer. But when I read the script and dialogues written by him, I was amazed by his confidence. Before the film started we interacted a lot for around a month and gelled well. I completely submitted myself to his direction so my performance should be completely credited to his vision.
How much was Anurag Kashyap involved in this film?
Though Anurag never interrupted in Rajkumar's vision he was involved in the project to 100% capacity. In terms of the designation, Anurag is the creative producer of the film. He also worked as the second unit director of the film shooting portions which didn't really require the cast in it.
" Does anybody want to go back in life?"
Who would you say is the target audience for Aamir?
Ideally I would say Aamir is a film for all. It's a thoroughly entertaining thriller. But the way in which the current market is shaping up, yes, Aamir is basically targeted at the multiplex audiences.
Will you go back to doing television?
Now this is one question I always detest. Why would anybody want to go back in life? Wouldn't you always want to step ahead?
So were films always your final destination?
Not really. As I already said, it all happened by destiny. But tell me one actor who wouldn't want to get into films, whether he is from television or even theatre. Films are like the Mecca-Medina of performing arts.
So rephrasing the earlier question, will you like to do television parallely?
Well, if something worthwhile comes in on a grand scale on the television, I will surely be interested.
Let the quality of Rajeev Khandelwal speak over the buzz that is generated
Any other film projects that you have signed in or are working on?
Nothing as of now! I want to play a very fair game. Let my first film release and the industry decide whether they want to sign me in the future. Let the quality of Rajeev Khandelwal speak over the buzz that is generated. So for the time-being I am just waiting till Aamir releases.
Haven't you directed some documentaries in the past?
Yes, I did direct many documentaries before I started with television. They were mostly around socially relevant themes. But I worked on them primarily because of my passion to write and direct.
So do we see you writing or directing films in the future?
Surely, when the right time comes!
Note - I know this article has been posted by someone else too,but that only has the first 2 questions.....mods please dont close the topic
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