Rajeev’s Bollywood dream comes true!

I never consciously make career plans but rather follow my instincts and my gut feeling says Aamir is the right choice," says tele-star Rajeev Khandelwal. The actor has taken an unconventional route for his Bollywood debut with Aamir, where he portrays a Muslim NRI doctor who gets embroiled with the whole terrorism business. "To be honest, I myself was surprised when the offer came to me," he admits.

The obvious question arises about the film being inspired by any real incident. But Rajeev dismisses the speculation saying, "It's a work of imagination and the only link with reality is the subject itself which is quite relevant with the current state of affairs." Unlike his lover boy image on the small screen, there's no scope of romance here, as it's a no- heroine, no-songs project.

"That's not all, I had not applied any makeup, In fact I wasn't even allowed to look in the mirror," he reveals. The actor is well aware that breaking a set image can backfire, but he is confident that he will deliver the goods and his fans won't be disappointed. "Well, I am known as a risk taker, even in my television career. I never shied away from experimenting. I am aware the character is quite out of the box but at the same time, Aamir has the potential to meet expectations. Besides yours truly, the team comprises a handful of debutants that include director Rajkumar Gupta, cinematographer Alphonso Roy and music director Amit Trivedi. So, it's a concerted effort at meaningful cinema. In fact, we lived, ate and drank Aamir, until the final shot was canned," he reasons. "Mind you, the subject may be close to reality, still the thriller and entertainment element has been preserved well," he adds.

With no tele actor able to repeat Shah Rukh Khan's success story on the big screen, is that a cause for concern for him? To that he replies, "So what if no one could script a success story. The point is they tried and that should be appreciated. I believe there's nothing wrong in failing but not trying, that's cowardice." The film will release in mid-May and while waiting, reading scripts is keeping Rajeev busy, "There have been interesting offers but I would prefer to wait and watch until my first film is released. I am not insecure so why go on a signing spree?" he says.