Pin-up boy of small screen
Libini Joy
He is the current heartthrob on the small screen with a swooning female fan-following spanning all age groups. Known to viewers as Sujal of Star Plus' late night opus Kahiin To Hoga, Rajeev Khandelwal has managed to win millions of hearts with the intense character he plays in the serial.
As is always the case, he was mobbed by a group of girls even when he was in Bangalore recently for the shoot of an ad film. Ask him how he manages the constant stream of attention and Rajeev has no qualms in admitting that he enjoys every bit of the adulation he gets.
An actor who has dabbled with film-making and modelling before making it to the television circuit, his journey from a small town boy in Rajasthan to the film city of Mumbai was definitely not an easy one. "It was indeed a struggle," he admits. It was, probably, the creative streak in him that saw him through this struggle.
Coming from an Army background, Rajeev's parents were not very supportive of him pursuing a career in acting as he was a good student. But, fate had it otherwise for Rajeev.
He quit engineering within two months of joining the course because he thought "it did not offer much scope for extra-curricular interests." He then joined St Xaviers in Ahmedabad to do his degree in Chemistry.
"As I always wanted to be an actor, I moved to Delhi on completion of the course. But when I realised that good roles were not coming my way, I started writing scripts and directing documentaries.
My next destination was Mumbai to sell the product I had made. There, it was the big money that attracted me to the world of advertising. After being selected for a commercial, one led to the other, and in a span of two months, I was able to recover all my losses."
Subsequently, on one of his trips to Delhi, Rajeev learnt that Balaji Telefilms was looking for a new face. "I auditioned and got selected. For me it was a good opportunity to find out whether I could stand out as more than a face in the crowd." The rest, as they say, is history.
A self-taught actor who has not undergone any formal training, Rajeev is of the view that "you either have it in you and perceive it with your heart and soul or you don't." A great admirer of Shahrukh Khan, his ultimate destination is also the celluloid and he admits of having got some feelers from the industry. "I wish to make my debut with a role that really turns me on, and will continue with television till it comes my way."
Being an outdoor person who loves adventure sports, he does not mind trying his hand at action because it comes naturally to him.
"However, as an actor it's more challenging to do comic roles and I would love to do the Govinda kind of slapstick humour someday," says this telly-star, who believes that his sex appeal lies in his eyes. Are his female fans listening?
Marathi TV
