After starring in television serial shows such as Kahiin To Hoga, Left Right Left, and many other popular shows, Rajeev Khandelwal became a household name in India. Years after dominating Indian television, the actor starred in his movie, Aamir, which was released in 2008 and was a critical success. However, despite his popularity, the makers of the film had trouble finding producers who would be ready to fund the movie.
In an exclusive interview with News18, Khandelwal who will soon be seen in the OTT series Showtime, revealed that producers were ready to invest in the film with a newcomer but not with an acclaimed TV actor like him. “When I was doing Aamir, Anurag Kashyap (who was one of the makers of the film) told me later that he went to so many producers to finance the film. He went from pillar to post and told everyone that I have Rajeev Khandelwal who is very popular on television. And all of them said and they said that they didn’t want a popular face. Even if you take a newcomer, it’s fine with us but a TV actor, maybe no,” he said.
The actor adds that it was Kashyap’s faith in him that enabled him to get a financer for Aamir, “Anurag had that conviction. He finally met Vikas Bahl from UTV. I was told later that Vikas asked Anurag, ‘Why do you want Rajeev? Is it because the budget is less?’ They thought that the budget was less, that’s why they are casting a TV actor. But both of them believed in me and that is how Aamir happened.”
Khandelwal says that as an actor it is more difficult to assure a producer about their abilities than the audience. “It is difficult to convince the makers to give actors like me the opportunity where we can showcase to the world that probably we are much more than how they look at them. That is more difficult than the audience’s acceptance.”
The actor who was last seen in Bloddy Daddy, l is currently promoting his upcoming drama show Showtime. Directed by Mihir Desai and Archit Kumar, Showtime is touted to be an epic saga of legacy and ambition in the world of cinema. He will be seen playing the role of a superstar Armaan, who is shown to be arrogant and egotistical, as per the trailer. Talking about it he said, “My character shows how a superstar is in their personal and professional life. It’s an amalgamation of many actors, and I won’t name them. But I’m sure I must have reminded you of a couple of them. So it’s all about a lot of superstars we’ve seen in the past and their insecurities, their attitude, approach, their belief system and things like that.”
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