Left TV’s popularity for deeper roles in films: Rajeev Khandelwal

Mumbai: Rajeev Khandelwal may have been the quintessential chocolate boy on TV, but the actor says he left the small screen to pursue deeper roles in Bollywood.

Rajeev made a powerful TV debut with Ekta Kapoor’s hit romantic soap ‘Kahin To Hoga’. He, however, made his debut in Bollywood with terrorism drama ‘Aamir’ and later went on to do films like ‘Shaitan’ and ‘Table No 21?.

He is currently starring as a detective in just released ‘Samrat & Co’.

“I could not think of anything else when ‘Aamir’ came my way. I was so smitten by the script and I was so fascinated by the writing that I thought, making my debut with this film is way more superior than a love story,” Rajeev, 38, said.

“I had left that kind of popularity on TV and left it knowing that I am distancing myself away from that fame. I am motivated by content and a constant desire to do something new and create my own world,” he told PTI.

The actor says he accepted the Rajshri Productions’ detective thriller as he was intrigued by the script which is completely different from the family dramas that the production house is known for. Their last spy thriller was Mahendra Sandhu starrer ‘Agend Vinod’ in 1977.

For Rajeev, ‘Samrat and Co’ portrayed the detective in the true sense similar to the ones in the classic bestsellers and in Hollywood films. The makers were careful not to tamper the personality of the spy with Bollywood gimmicks, he said.

“My role was not like the usual detective which you know a common man perceives. It is not over the top. We tried not to give any Bollywood gimmick and tried to make it an actual and purely detective film.

“My character is superhuman but not like the ones jumping buildings. He will convince you about his super intelligence with his logic,” he added.

The actor has been in the film industry since 2008, but he has not done many films since his debut but his well-wishers tell him to do two-three films a year.

“Paresh Rawalji often asks me to do at least two-three films a year. He says ‘if you do and some of them fail, then you won’t be so hurt’. But at the same time he tells me not to deviate from my thinking.”

Rajeev would next be seen in ‘Fever’ opposite three actresses, Gauhar Khan, UK’s Gemma Atkinson and France’s Caterina Murino, who had a minor role in 2006 James bond film ‘Casino Royale’.

The entire film has been shot in Switzerland.