I like Jaipur’s character: Rajeev

Rajeev Khandelwal is all set to make his filmi debut soon and the Jaipur lad can't be happier. It seems Jaipur is equally happy for him. Recently, a rumour saying that he was shooting at Hawa Mahal for Aamir brought half the city there!

Ask him what his debut film is all about and he says, "I have read a number of scripts in the last two years and Aamir is the only script that didn't let me sleep at night. I wasn't prepared for this one and I guess the best things in life are the ones you are not prepared for. It is going to be a great film."

But what made him give up his very successful TV career? "I do work for the masses but when it comes to making a move, it has to be my word. In the TV industry, I couldn't understand the point of dragging a show for years and years? The makers of Kahiin to Hoga were not calling it quits, so I had to. Raj Kapoor had said that the show must go on and I think the TV guys take it too seriously. I think it is the creativity that must go on," explains Rajeev.

The actor who has long been linked to his telly co-star Aamna Sharif claims there is no woman in his life. "I am single. I just don't know why I am single, I guess I am pretty happy the way I am right now. Not that I don't need women in my life. I do and that is just to say that I am pretty straight and normal. But I am not seeing anyone right now. I have just been linked with Aamna and that to because we did a romantic soap together. Since I have no heroine in Aamir, I guess the linking game will not begin for me just now in Bollywood!"

But what kind of Ms Right is he looking for? "I like femininity in a woman, followed by her mindset. She has to have a strong individual character. She should not be dependent on anything and anyone."

And that holds true for his favourite city too – Jaipur. "I was born in Jaipur and my family is still there. My father was in the Army and we used to keep travelling around the country. Whenever he was posted at an out-of-the-way place, we would come back and stay in Jaipur. And all my summer vacations were spent in the Pink City. What I really like about Jaipur is its character."
And what does he mean by that? "It is just so pure and beautiful. When I say character, I mean its colours, its people, its food and its culture." And then he goes on to list a few other attractions... "Rawat's pyaaz ki kachoris, Nahargarh Fort, kulhar mein lassi, Raj Mandir and Choki Dhani. It is a sin to miss any of it."

The actor also loves the way the city has mixed tradition with modernity. "The original Jaipur, with its wide roads and heritage monuments, has beautifully transformed itself into a modern city. If it has forts, it also has malls, if it has temples, there are also BPO hubs... there is so much more to the city now!"