we need to reinvent r selves constantly!

Rajiv Khandelwal was one of those bold actors who staged a brave walkout from the Balaji soap Kahiin To Hoga. A man who is ready to forgo such hard earned popularity for creative satisfaction is rare to come by.

Evidently Ketan Mehta's newly launched show Time Bomb is the one that lured this actor into walking out. And he admits that these 24 episodes are the ones that will either "make or break him". Time Bomb has evoked mixed responses…

I think all of us were prepared for this kind of a mixed response form the audience. In fact, I am surprised there aren't more people who seem baffled by the narrative techniques or who are critical of it.

The whole idea was to do something unconventional because that is the way one needs to evolve in the creative medium. We need to reinvent ourselves constantly. What has been your experience with Ketan Mehta as a director? I was completely in awe of him.

And the only aim in my mind was to have this director look at me in approval. I mean he is the man who directed someone like Aamir Khan. I was scared and nervous and overwhelmed by the thought that he found me suitable for this character.

And even now, I can only say that he is not unhappy with me. A lot of obvious comparisons are drawn between you and Akashdeep. How have you reacted to this competition? I don't believe there is any competition.

We are not Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. I am not that great though Akashdeep is big in his own way. In fact, I think that he must outshine everyone else in the serial because of the pivotal role that he plays. If the ideology of that character is not forthcoming, then the serial eventually will fail to work.

Nothing mediocre will work with Time Bomb. What is Rajeev Khandelwal doing when he is not acting? Rajeev is a very simple man. I still think like a kid and have boyish desires. The only passion that I have is for my game of squash which I struggle to play even between two schedules.

Besides that, I love travelling and particularly enjoy going on my bike to the exotic mountains of Ladakh. What are you looking forward to in life? Professionally, I am not looking beyond these three months. At an individual level, I want to turn five years younger in the next five years; before I actually grow mature and start doing al the politically right things. What have been the greatest influences in your life?

Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is one book that I totally identify with. I truly believe that if you have dreams, you must be focused on turning them into reality. And also the fact that Coelho propounds about the whole universe conspiring to make your destiny come true. Another influence is Ayn Rand's The Fountain Head. I have read it several times over and have Howard Roark's quotes written in my personal diary.