Posted:
| Rajiv Khandelwal to take over Deal Ya No Deal |
| Subhash K Jha | Tuesday, 30 May , 2006, 11:30 |
| Mandira Bedi will no longer be hosting Sony's gameshow 'Deal Ya No Deal'. After Madhavan, it's Mandira's turn to say bye-bye to the anchor's position. As the cricket season comes on Mandira says balle-balle to the cricket ground. One of television's most saleable stars Rajiv Khandelwal will now take over the show. The show will now go through a full revamp in look and content, adopting the American Deal Ya No Deal format of 26 instead of 22 boxes. Rajiv who has been undergoing intense rehearsals before recording the show in 20 April took time off to speak on his new avatar as a tv anchor. "It looks like quite a responsibility, not only because Madhavan and Mandira managed the show before, but also because the show is going for a completely new look. It has now become one of the Top 4 shows on Sony. I'd be expected to take it further. I'm doing it because I want to go into new challenges. I did a romantic role in Kahiin To Hoga , then an action role in Time Bomb. After a small stint on the thriller CID, I did a music video for Saru where I was seen in very romantic avatar, Now I wanted to do something entirely different. I'm very very excited about Deal Ya No Deal. It takes me to a territory where I am an alien." Rajiv has never hosted any show before. "At first when they asked me I chickened out. On second thoughts I decided, winners are never quitters, and quitters are never winners. So I decided to give it a try. I did a number of auditions and told them I'll be doing it only when they think I can do it." Rajiv is confident but anxious. "I know I'm comfortable with the idea of anchoring Deal Ya No Deal. But how I finally look doing it remains to be seen. I'm dying to see the results. It's very risky for me to take over a show where Mandira was the host earlier. We all know what a pro she is at anchoring. But Sony wanted to use my USP…namely my image as a known tv face on fiction programming . If it doesn't work. I'd know one more thing that I won't do in life." |
Kumkum Bhagya
Arjun
