Sujal in a new avatar

Sujal in a new avatar

After maintaining a low profile for nearly a year, Rajeev Khandelwal will be seen in Left Right Left

Subhash K Jha

It's almost after a year that viewers will get to see Rajeev Khandelwal in a new daily, Left Right Left. "I shot last for Kahiin To Hoga in May last year. Left Right Left is a different ballgame altogether than Kahiin…. I feel blessed as people haven't forgotten me though I haven't been on TV for some time. I wanted to break the myth about TV stars being forgotten. And I didn't vanish entirely. I kept coming on screen in spurts. I did the weekly Time Bomb for six months. Then I did a cameo in CID, a music video and Deal Ya No Deal," he says.

Rajeev is thrilled to be part of Left Right Left. "I come from an army background, and play an army-man in Left Right Left. When I heard the story I felt it sounded really good, though I had my doubts. We can never authentically depict the army in its entirety. I'd describe Left Right Left as 'subtle humour in uniform'. The visuals have been designed with great care. And the cadets were actually trained. It's about an academy that motivates cadets to join the army. I play Captain Rajvir Singh. I love it."

Though he evolved as an actor in Kahiin…, Rajeev says his real learning experience occured after he quit the serial. "I stepped out of the reel world into the real one. I had to face a lot of adversities. At least, I had the balls to stand up for my beliefs. I can take up any challenge now," he says.

Rajeev turned down the supernatural thriller Akela. "When the script was narrated to me, I didn't see anything exciting beyond the first four episodes. And I didn't want to do horror. After Sujal, I didn't want to play another severe character. But when I saw the first episode of Akela, I knew it was a winner. Sudhanshu Pande looks apt for the part. I couldn't have done such a good job," says Rajeev.

Stories of the actor's high-handedness did the rounds when he was anchoring Deal Ya No Deal. "That's funny. I was supposed to have been smoking without permission during shooting. No one on Deal Ya No Deal is allowed to smoke. But I don't need to defend myself," he says.

The actor claims he's unaffected by failure. "In one year I've done all kinds of stuff. I failed with Deal Ya No Deal. Sony expected a miracle but I couldn't save a sinking show. But at least I tried. As long as the people working with me are happy, so am I," he says.