Rajeev Khandelwal, at one point of time, was a TV sensation. Girls swooned over him after his stint with Ekta Kapoor’s Kahiin To Hoga, that brought him immense fame and popularity. He then went onto do some really good shows such as Left Right Left and Reporters and films like Aamir, Table No 21 and Shaitan to name a few. The actor is now all set to foray into the digital platform with Ekta Kapoor‘s Haq Se, which will have the two collaborate with each other after nearly a decade. With this web series, he will be one of those few actors who has explored all three mediums–TV to films to web. And while he is excited to venture into a new space such as the web, he revealed to DNA during a recent interview, that TV content these days don’t appeal to him anymore.
Yes you read just right. Given that Rajeev began his acting career with TV, it’s rather shocking to hear him say that. However, the actor has a logical explanation for it. He told the leading daily that when he is surfing through channels, he finds a lot of similarities between serials and finds them as each others prototypes. “I think it’s one way of being in the rat race — if one show works, it leads to a lot of prototypes,” he said. He further added that the kind of audience that used to once watch Kahiin To Hoga, Kasautii Zindagii Kay or for that matter Banegi Apni Baat has deserted TV. ” They have either moved on to the web or are watching international series (sic). I’m just hoping that something like Reporters, which was different, comes to me, then I will consider it,” he said. He was offered a mythological show lately, but he politely refused. ” I didn’t even ask what they wanted me to play because it didn’t interest me. I’m sure the shows are according to the taste that is prevalent, but the content doesn’t appeal to me,” he explained. (ALSO READ : Rajeev Khandelwal And Surveen Chawla Starrer Haq Se Took Two Years To Complete)
Rajeev admitted to being offered a lot of web series in the past but rejecting them because he didn’t know how many people watched it. However, when he was approached for Haq Se and was told that it was being handled by Ekta, he decided to go ahead with it. “Ekta knows her job. When I was given the script, it blew me away. It is based on the classic novel Little Women and is basically about four sisters. Haq Se is set in Kashmir and the way it has been adapted, the Valley also becomes another character. I thought it was ambitious and my only concern was the budget because I had heard that money is tight on web shows. But the way Ekta has spent on it, the amount is bigger than any films I have been part of!,” he said.
In the show, he will be seen playing a doctor, who has his own quirks. “What he is on the outside does not reflect what he is inside. You will see several sides to him — he is silent, brooding and idiosyncratic, but he has his reasons. There is a lot of turmoil, angst and pain in him, which you will know when you watch it,” Rajeev told the leading daily. We certainly can’t wait for the series now! Can you?