Rajeev Khandelwal takes over Mandira Bedi's role on Deal Ya No Deal
Subhash K Jha
Come May, and Rajeev Khandelwal will begin a new innings as TV anchor. After Mandira Bedi bids adieu to Deal Ya No Deal, Khandelwal will take the show forward. It will be a role different from the kinds he's known to play, but the actor has been preparing. "It is quite a responsibility, not only because Madhavan and Mandira managed the show before, but also because the show is going in for a completely new look," the actor-turned-anchor says.
Rajeev has been undergoing intense rehearsals before stepping into the studios for the main recording on April 20. "I'm doing it because I want to experiment with new challenges. I played a romantic role in Kahiin To Hoga and an action role in Time Bomb. After a small stint on the thriller CID, I did a music video for Saru, in which I was seen as a very romantic character. Now, I want to do something entirely different. I'm extremely excited about Deal Ya No Deal. It takes me to an alien territory," he says.
Rajeev is new to the art of wielding the mike and hosting a show. He says, "At first when they approached me I chickened out. On second thoughts I decided to follow the motto – winners are never quitters, and quitters are never winners. So, I decided to give it a try. I appeared for a number of auditions and told them I'd do it only when they thought I was ready to do it."
Rajeev is confident, but anxious. "I know I'm comfortable with the idea of anchoring Deal Ya No Deal. But how I finally manage, remains to be seen. I'm dying to see the results. It's very risky for me to take over a show on which Mandira was the host earlier. We all know that she excels as an anchor. But the channel wanted to use my USP…namely my image as a known TV face on fiction programming. If it doesn't work, I'd know about one more thing that I will never attempt again in life."
Besides acquiring a new anchor, the show will now go through a full revamp in terms of look and content, adopting the American Deal Ya No Deal format of 26 instead of 22 boxes.
Source: mumbai mirror
--Leena
