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TV is getting on my nerves'

Monday, July 24, 2006 18:30 IST



DNA reader/student Jenisha Shah grills TV heartthrob Rajeev Khandelwal on his fading lover boy image and 'good friend' Aamna Shariff.

Do people still call you by Sujal (from 'Kahiin To Hoga')?
Yes. Though I think now people know me more as Rajeev Khandelwal…but at times, girls do end up calling me Sujal. It feels good that people relate to the character so much, that they still remember me as Sujal. I'm grateful to them.

Are you consciously trying to dilute your lover boy image with serials like 'Time Bomb' and 'Left Right Left'?
I have been really blessed to get such diverse offers. But it was not a conscious effort; I really wanted to do something to break out of the rut. Even though 'Time Bomb' didn't work with the masses, people still remember my role in it.

So, to break the stereotypes of TV, will you try your luck in Bollywood?
Frankly speaking, TV is getting on to my nerves. I don't want to do anything that is getting constipated as a medium. As far as films go, I would like to start from scratch and not carry any image that has been built around me with my TV characters.

Since 'Deal Ya No Deal' flopped, are you no longer on the television A-list?
I don't think so. The very fact that people want to see more of me proves that I have created a niche. In television, that hardly happens. You might want to go and see a Shah Rukh Khan film, but you hardly want to come back and watch a television actor again and again.

You did a music video recently. Are you open to such stuff?
I'm open to any offer that provides me new dimensions and gives me a chance to do something different.

By the way, are you seeing Aamna Shariff?
I am not. Aamna and I share a great comfort level and rapport with each other. I sang a song for her on one of the 'Deal Ya No Deal' episodes and I think it was quite sweet. If I can flirt with her on camera, we must share a great understanding level, right? She is a very pretty girl and I hope something works out between us!
Co-ordinated by Divya Unny

Superstars: telly-size

All set for success

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 19:00 IST

Watch out, Deeya and Tony

A few weeks on air and a jarring note has been sounded in Left Right Left,which is based on life in a military training academy. Anyone who knows the tenets of such establishments is fully aware of the rigidity and discipline from the moment a cadet steps in. How then is Cadet Naina Singh approached by a courier who hands over a gift wrapped parcel? In the first instant, no one is allowed beyond the sentry point, also any mail, etc. is always routed through the commanding officer. With due respect, makers Deeya and Tony Singh should pay more attention to such details. One must add however, the sequences where the seniors are ragging the new entrants was done with taste, and a touch of humour. On the whole the serial holds attention.

Saturday June 24, 04:44 PM

TELLY BUZZ Set to set
Left Right Left, the new serial to be aired on SAB TV is in the news for various reasons. Recently, the actors underwent tough training at the Raigad Military School, to be authentic. The serial is based in a fictitous academy Kanchanjanga Military Academy which has been constructed at Chitrarth Powai. The pre NDA Academy is recreated by Neelabh Kapoor who has done the sets for the recent Screen Awards and STAR Parivaar Awards. Produced by Deeya Tony Singh, the serial based in a military academy has Rajeev Khandelwal and Shweta Salve in the lead roles. It is the story of six individuals in search of their calling in life. Huda, Naina, Yudi, Alekh, Ali and Pooja who come together at the pre NDA Academy with varied interests and dreams and how their decision to join the academy will change their lives forever. They transform from being naive to responsible young men and women who are determined to fight all odds of life.

For the youth in you

Now, a new serial that inculcates pride in the nation.

It is an action-based youth drama made for the prime time of the revamped SAB TV. Photo: Anu Pushkarna

A NEW OFFERING Rajeev Khandelwal and Shveta Salve in New Delhi. A decade ago, this duo started their journey with a youth-oriented soap named "Banegi Apni Baat" on Zee TV. From then to now, they never looked back. Want to know who are they? Well, they are none other than Deeya and Tony Singh of DJ's Creations, who got you to take your eyes off that old saas - bahu saga and grabbed high TRPs with serials that have a sense of vitality. With big hits like "Just Mohabbat" and "Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin" already against their namesand also the recent Zee TV serial "Jab Love Hua" doing well ratings wise, Deeya and Tony have come up with yet another soap this week. Called "Left Right Left", it is an action-based youth drama made for the prime time of the revamped SAB TV. Being aired from this past Monday at 9.30 P.M., the daily is the story of six youngsters: Huda, Naina, Yudi, Aleki, Ali, and Pooja. They have all come from different streams of life to Kanchanjanga Military Academy, a pre-NDA academy, with varied interests, dreams, desires and goals. It features how the six confused youngsters change into strong determined individuals and realise their love for their motherland. The actors Talking about his role in the serial, actor Rajeev Khandelwal says quite happily, "Nothing better could have happened to me. I feel blessed as I'm in creative hands." Comparing his earlier role as Sujal in "Kahin to Hoga" on Star Plus that of Captain Rajveer in "Left Right Left", he calls his latest avatar "closer to heart". Joining him in the conversation is the gorgeous Shveta Salve, who plays the role of Ritu Mishra, a psychiatrist, in the serial. "I am enjoying my character very much," she says, adding, "a good actor is one who experiments with different kinds of roles".

Adds Priya Mishra, Programming Head, SAB TV, "It is a show based on the youth and is not in competition for the 9 to 10 p.m. slot, as none of the channels address the sentiments of the youth." The producer-director duo, Tony and Deeya Singh are confident that the show's distinct concept will ensure its popularity, and viewers will be able to identify with the characters.

New Delhi

Going by the dictates of his heart

Rajeev Khandelwal, the popular star of television serials, gives Madhur Tankha some takes from his acting life... He goes by the dictates of his heart. Even when he was at the peak of his career, Rajeev Khandelwal, the much sought after television star, decided to call its quits from Ekta Kapoor's popular serial "Kahiin To Hoga" when he realised that his character would lose his charm if he continued to act in it. For the all-important role, Rajeev had auditioned in the Capital and was selected from 500 aspirants by Balaji Telefilms. He was given a brief about the romantic character he was to play. "I was a struggling actor then and all of us in the serial shared similar energy and commitment levels. Because of this role, I received so much love and affection from fans from far-off places including Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Guwahati. However, after acting in 'Kahiin To Hoga' for more than a year, I felt my debut serial was dragging. I did not want to sleepwalk through my role. Even though my character of Sujal was well appreciated, I felt I could no longer play the role with honesty," says Rajeev. Not regretting his decision to bid adieu to the soap opera, Rajeev says: "I wanted the character to live in the minds and hearts of people for another ten years. Like the character of Nanhe in "Hum Log' ". Asserting that he had nothing against the maker of the serial, the actor says he was open to the idea of working with Ekta Kapoor. A versatile actor, who is equally at home playing an action hero, Rajeev's role in "Time Bomb" was appreciated even though the serial was nowhere as popular as his debut serial. As for his on-going "Deal Ya No Deal'' series on Sony Entertainment Television, Rajeev says it is different from what he has done earlier. "We are shooting the serial in a brand new style. I cannot comment on Madhavan, the earlier host. I think Mandira Bedi was expressive, while I am a shy person. When I was given the offer I thought it would be a difficult task. Anything that is challenging excites me. Acting and hosting a show are poles apart." Stating that he was extremely jittery before taking the plunge into hosting the series, Rajeev says he had inhibitions performing in front of 300-odd people. "Let me clarify that it was not a conscious decision to host the show. On the sets there is a theatre like experience. My fans see me as a superstar and I have to give 200 per cent to live up to their expectation. Unlike acting, here there are no camera re-takes. I want to grow as an individual, stand on my own feet and speak before the audience with the same panache as I perform my roles. Now, I am confident enough to act in front of five actors. The whole experience of shooting seven episodes has been mind blowing," he adds. Even though he has a big fan following, Rajeev has not allowed success to go to his head. Talking about another popular game show, "Kaun Banega Crorepati", hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, the actor says: "Bachchanji is a legend, yet he rehearsed for one and a half months before hosting the show. So when I got ten days before shooting for my show, I slogged like anything." On his upcoming serial "Left, Right, Left" on Sab TV, Rajeev says the soap opera is about an officer and cadets who dream to make it to the Army. Made by Tony and Deeya Singh, the serial will go on air in the first week of June. Stating that he is a small-town boy, who longs to live life to the fullest, Rajeev says: "I never stayed in a metropolitan city. I come from Jaipur. Since my father was from Army I lead a very disciplined life."

Even though Rajeev is trying his hands at different things -- he has also acted in a music video -- he has no inclination, however, to take up production and direction. He says he is not attached to his own popularity and believes in good "karma''.

Saturday May 20, 12:03 PM

TELLY BUZZ : Doodh ya pani?

Rajeev-Shveta in Left Right Left
That's the name of a new show to be launched on SAB towards the end of June. Left Right Left directed by Tony and Deeya Singh revolves around six youngsters living in a military academy. It traces their trials and tribulations as they search for their true calling in life. "It's about new-age patriotism (Rang De Basanti anyone), about loving and living life," says Deeya Singh. Rajeev Khandelwal and Shveta Salve have been cast in key roles followed by Suchita Paose and Priyanka Bhasin. The rest of them are all newcomers. Right now, Deeya and Tony are in the process of putting up the academy set.