He remains the heartthrob of the small screen. Rajeev Khandelwal continues to make an impact despite the tag of a thinking actor. He steers clear of making any controversial media comments, yet, every move of his makes headlines.
The route to acting
Destiny has guided me. I tried hard to sell a documentary I had made. No one seemed to give the project a second look but in the process, many gave me the first look and I ended up doing ads and serials for DD.
Life after 'Kahiin Toh Hoga'
Unbelievably great! More than the career, I have grown as a person and as an actor. I was told that people forget you when you leave a hit show. I never wanted to become a star. I was living the character Sujal and was not prepared to corrupt it or accept all the adulation with dishonesty. I do not regret the decision and left it solely on grounds that I strongly believed in and not because of any ego. Failures and success is destiny and I was prepared to start from scratch. I am happy and proud that I took a step. My biggest achievement in this industry is to survive. I feel fortunate in getting roles in 'Time bomb', 'CID' and 'Left Right Left'.
My fans
I am not the most talented actor but I feel secure due to the love of my fans. My birthday is a thanksgiving day for me and I interact directly with my fans. I do not celebrate or throw parties.
Films
I am open to work with all producers who offer me scripts with good content, be it UTV or Balaji. I am here to work not fight. The last two years, films have been looking at me but now I am looking at films! I wanted to gauge my potential when I joined TV. Now, I feel more confident and want to see my emotions on the big screen. I am looking at a project where I want to be a part of it and not because the producer wants me in it.
Reality shows
I was asked to host 'Fame Gurukul', 'Fear Factor' and also 'Jhalak..'. But I felt I was too junior to comment on my seniors. And a reality show is out as I can't express my emotions for money. They just want to exploit my emotions and I am not comfortable with cameras following me in my personal life.
Awards
This year, I was surprised to be nominated in two categories for the MTV Style Awards. One is for being the most stylish actor in 'Left..' and another for the most stylish host in 'Deal..'. For me, 'Left …' was a gamble as it was on a smaller channel. It is just 40 episodes old and its concept is different. I feel honoured to be recognised for my role in it.
The way I am
I am easy and yet can be difficult. I like simplicity. I have evolved but not become tough. I am very emotional yet have learned to overlook certain things. I am an outdoor person, love adventure sports, travel. I'm a people's person. I love to cook, shop for vegetables. I am a typical next door mamma's boy. I like changes in life as I am restless. I believe in myself, popularity and criticisms will come and go.
Naagin 7
