Out-of-work 'Sujal' sells condoms!
Rajiv Khandelwal tours country on an AIDS awareness campaign
Subhash K Jha
Former Sujal aka Rajeev Khandelwal is busy using his celebrity status to propagate causes he believes in. He was in Agra to promote the use of condoms. And now he goes to Patna in December for the same. "It's been organised by US AID. If all goes well I'll be in Patna in the beginning of December. The only problem is how do I put forward the message in Hindi? English will be useless in the cow belt."
This TV star says he enjoys doing live shows. "It is very humbling. A lady called me from Goa, telling me she prays for me each time she goes to church. I wonder what I've done to deserve this kind of love!"
Rajiv is considered arrogant and opinionated. To this he says,"I don't know why I'm considered highhanded. Those who know me don't despise me. Probably these rumours have to do with the insecurities of the rumour-mongers. "
He's surprisingly honest about his rift with Ekta Kapoor and says, "Her ideas on how to play Sujal didn't jell with me. I could've worked with Balaji Telefilms for ten more years. But the liberties being taken with logistics in my characterization were unbearable for me. I was being watched minutely by viewers.When I'd go abroad as Sujal I'd be mobbed far more intensely than so many film stars. Women threw jewellery at me. Did I have the right to enjoy Sujal's stardom when I was no longer enjoying playing him?"
Not that Rajiv is putting the sensation caused by Sujal behind him and says, "I won't be modest. I know how popular Sujal was. Aamna Shariff and I made a good pair. We've been offered a number of films together. But it has to be something worthwhile." He adds further, "Right now, I'm taking a month's sabbatical.I want to break the rules. I've enough money to survive comfortably for six months."
His new crime thriller Time Bomb is a let down. Rajiv tries to be discreet, saying, "I won't be dishonest. I did my best on the serial. And it did succeed in getting me out the chcocolate-box image. But yes, I had certain expectations. And I got to work with awesome people."
Given that Khandelwal has no shows where plays the lead, the actor says he is clueless about about his future plans,"I'm doing a cameo in Sony's CID. I'll hold back as long as I can. Unfortunately the TV industry and I, both need to grow a lot more."
Rajiv laughs off the rumours about him and his Kahiin To Hoga co-star Aamna Shariff. "We both enjoy these rumours. In fact, we add spice to them by going for events together as a couple. Marriage is not on the cards for a long time. It can happen any time. My younger brother recently married out of the blue. It may happen to me too."
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