| Zee TV's Time Bomb has received an extension, but actor Rajeev Khandelwal is out of the show.
Ketan Mehta, who is currently in charge of the show, will give way to Gulshan Sachdeva (Mehta's last episode will air on November 25). The serial will now be shown thrice a week, and each episode will be of 30-minute duration.
Says Sachdeva, who has made Aap Ki Adalat, among other shows, "I am taking the story to a different platform. I will have 96 episodes from here, which means 32 weeks precisely." Punjabi puttar chahida
But why is Rajeev out? "Judging by his popularity, he should have remained. Well, I did speak to him. But there were some issues and we did not meet at a common point.
The story will now revolve around a Punjabi family, and Rajeev doesn't look like a Punju, so it's okay. I am auditioning many people and will zero in on someone in a week." Rajeev says he did not like the role much, and decided not to do it. "The adrenaline didn't flow, and I told Sachdeva then and there." Family ties
The actor won the MTV Lycra Style Award for the Most Stylish Person on Television (Male) on October 14.
Giving him company were his bhaiyya Sanjeev, bhabhi and nephew, who had come down from Pune to be with him.
"Frankly, I was not expecting the award. It's a great honour; I think I am the first person without a television background to have bagged it," he said.
Birthday boy
Yesterday was his birthday, and Rajeev stayed home. "Where can I go? Since morning, I am flooded with SMSes and phone calls. This year, the birthday wishes have multiplied. I am quite surprised, because I am not playing Sujal any more. I think Varun Awasthi has done well, plus a larger number of people have got hold of my phone number." Rajeev ki chandi
The former Sujal has been getting lots of gifts and bouquets for his birthday since nearly a month. "My house has so many things that have been sent, I don't know where to keep them. I am overwhelmed. People from Pakistan are sending me shawls and shirts.
A fan from India has photographs from the Internet and compiled a CD, another one has put it as a book. Girls have been calling from over a month ago, trying to outdo each other in being the first one to wish me."
And what did good friend Aamna Shariff send? "She sent a huge bouquet of flowers — that's it," he smiles. "She isn't coming home in the evening, she is very busy with her shoot today." Unit fest
On Saturday, the Time Bomb unit threw a surprise party for Rajeev. "It has been great working with Ketan and Deepa. Also, Zee has been kind." What next, Rajeev? "Time Bomb is coming to an end for me, but my sixth sense tells me something exciting is going to happen soon." vickey.lalwani@mid-day.com |
