Rajeev’s new avataar-Indiatimes!!

Come April 28 and the Indian television viewers are going to see Rajeev 'Sujal' Khandelwal in a new avatar. The guy who made the most memorable pair with Aamna 'Kashish' Sharif on TV is all set to handle the reins of Sony Entertainment Television's game show, 'Deal Ya No Deal'.

The handsome guy who stole millions of hearts with just one brilliant stroke talks to Rachna Kanwar about his new shows and his much talked about break.

You are going to anchor 'Deal Ya No Deal' (DYND), what made you take over a game show?

The whole concept was so exciting. I didn't think of it as a game show, but just a different thing that I am going to do. Initially I was a bit reluctant because I wasn't mentally prepared to host a show. It took me a while to digest the fact that I will host a show. I was invited to watch the episodes of the American show. That gave me a kick and when I thought of mingling with the common people I felt very comfortable with the idea.


Does it feel like a big challenge to step into a show that hasn't taken off as yet despite many changes?

For me everything that I do is a challenge, whether it's a music video or a series like 'Time Bomb'. The thing that is more challenging here, to me, is that I am moving into a different arena altogether. I just don't know how I will deal with it; whether I will be good, comfortable, warm or whether I will realize after a couple of episodes that this is not my forte. The challenge is that it is a totally new territory and that's probably what scares me. Not the fact that it's not ruling the TRPs. But I think the show is not doing badly in terms of TRPs. I think it's in the top four shows of Sony.


Many felt that people didn't understand the format of 'DYND' though the channel promoted it as a simple show. As an anchor, how will you deal with it?

It's the simplest game to play and this fact will come out in this format. The whole format has changed, the look has changed and so has the styling. It's a brand new show with the same concept. I am not going to take it from where Mandira left; it's an absolute new show. Earlier there were 22 briefcases, now we have 26 briefcases. The game will be very simple and whosoever watches it even for 5 minutes will understand it.


What is the USP that you bring to the show as it hasn't worked with Madhavan or Mandira?

Honestly, this time the game itself will be the USP. My contribution will be minimal because I am just going to help the contestants play the game. People are going to forget me after the first 5 minutes of the show. I am not going to do any histrionics. And if you ask me how Rajeev Khandelwal adds to the show then I'll say that people can feel comfortable with me. I may be popular but I am not a star. I am not unapproachable and I also feel very comfortable with common people. I am not a bigger pull or anything; Madhavan is a huge star that way. I do have a mass appeal, in the sense that people do relate to me. They see me as one of them. That is something which will help and that's the reason why I am here. There are so many people who are working hard on me and I am completely new here. I wish I had more time before the shoot. The sets are huge, something you wouldn't even dream of.


There is also a lot of glamour being added to the show...

Yeah...We have 26 gorgeous women (models) in this format; they will add glamour to the show and make it more exciting.


So, you will still be surrounded by women!

I will be facing them as they stand right in front of me. I won't be chased by women here but I will be chasing them, this time.


You had taken a break. Were you planning an image change?

I had not taken a break as such, just slowed down my pace. I wanted to spend some time with myself. I am glad that I was conspicuous by my absence. People kept warning me that you'll be written off. They told me to keep doing something so that I don't become completely out of sight. I just wanted to test it out whether you actually go out of the mind of people if you are out of sight for a while. Or do people miss you if you are out of sight. And I liked it when I realized that people are missing me. Also, to be honest, this time is never going to come in my life again. My youth will not return. If I spend all of it in only working and making money and be there just because people want me there, if I keep working just to get rid of some insecurity, then what's the point? So I wanted to catch up with all those things that I always wanted to do. I had decent amount of money that I could spend on myself and I could travel. All these things have been dreams. And I realize that most of us let these dreams remain as dreams as we don't have time. We are scared to take out time. I traveled out of the country and visited Malaysia, Bahrain, Dubai and in India I went for river rafting with my family, I went to Jaipur, Ranthambore, Goa and Ladakh. You just have to make up your mind and say, 'I will come back and even if I have to start from scratch I will.' You should not be greedy. But I loved it when I realized that when I was away people were having sleepless nights, wondering as to why he is not working. Media was speculating on whether it is a forced break, whether he is not getting work and they wrote anything and everything under the sun. I really enjoyed it.


You music video is also on air currently. How did you decide on that?

The idea was to experiment with a music video. I did it purely out of curiosity. It's always good to learn different things in life and I realized that the guy who was doing it was one of the best. I did it absolutely free of cost, as a hobby. I have done ad films, romantic roles, action roles, music videos and now I am hosting a show. It feels good!


You are also doing 'Left, Right, Left' with Tony and Deeya Singh.

Yes, I play an army officer in the serial. It's a brilliant concept and a daily soap. I don't know how it'll shape up as daily soaps are commanded by TRPs. The opening is good and it is a nice set-up. I am glad there are no sarees and unwanted glycerin in it.


Do you feel that the 'glycerine soaps' have taken a backseat?

How I wish that all those sick dramas took a back seat, but unfortunately they haven't (laughs). We still have them on the TRP charts. It's about time that people wake up. But I am glad that we have a lot of reality shows and I am glad that people are willing to experiment. You can't get stuck with a genre and think that this is giving me good TRPs so I should only do this. You need to contribute to the society too and they need to evolve. The audience will never evolve if we don't give them anything new. So I feel it's a nice change. Some reality shows like 'Fear Factor' are so exciting. Now watch out for 'Deal Ya No Deal', it's going to be great!