He is probably known more for his off-screen chemistry with ex-co-star Aamna Sharif than his work. Rajeev Khandelwal who played the lead in Kahiin To Hoga opposite Aamna enjoyed a good on-screen chemistry with the actress which became a famous tale of friendship, romance and affair in television folklore. Their friendship continues with the same intensity and vigour as it started some two years ago. Aamna continues to be the key player in her debut serial but Rajeev quit the show because it was “going the way of saas-bahu shows.”
In the one-year post Kahiin To Hoga period Rajeev has done Time Bomb, a few appearances in CID and a music video. But recently he has struck a deal with Sony for the third season of Deal Ya No Deal. Surely Rajeev must have got a bigger deal from Sony for the game show, which has had two anchors in south superstar R. Madhavan and the vivacious Mandira Bedi.
He ducks the query saying the monetary aspect doesn’t really matter to him. What matters more is that audience should get a good deal. “The challenge is to hook viewers. If they enjoy the show and take it to a different level of gaming experience then it will be a good deal for me as well, ” he says.
“I am totally into it and I am going to wait and watch for viewers’ response.” He is hopeful that the show will be a bigger success in its third season. “The game has changed. The styling is different and the host is new, ” he smiles nervously. The fact that he is absolutely new to hosting makes him a bit nervous. But he has rehearsed for a few days and is ready for the new job.
“Madhavan and Mandira have contributed in their individual ways to making the show popular, ” he says. “They have made my job easy because by now people are quite familiar with the show’s format. So my contribution is going to be minimum.” Try telling him that Mandira did her best to breathe life into the show but didn’t succeed much in reviving its fortunes and Rajeev says Deal Ya No Deal is already Sony’s fourth most popular programme.
“Money has always been secondary for me. I have taken it up as a challenge and not just as another assignment to make some quick money, ” he claims. Obviously he has taken up a big challenge where the two previous hosts failed. “To me the past doesn’t matter, ” he shoots back. “As far as I am concerned it’s a new show.”
He is happy with the fact that people still remember his on-screen chemistry with Aamna though he quit Kahiin To Hoga a year ago. “What it means is that people miss me. Maybe because I made a great pair with Aamna and our chemistry worked like magic. The fact that nobody is talking about the actor who replaced me as Sujal means something is missing in him. He doesn’t share the same kind of chemistry with his co-actress. That makes me special, ” he chuckles. Try telling him that it’s surprising that Ekta doesn’t seem to realise this fact and he says it is up to Ekta to decide.
“She should take a call, ” says Rajeev, adding that he and Ekta parted ways on an amicable note. “In any case I am looking at the future now, ” he adds. Going forward, he has two shows in the offing. One is a daily called Hum Do Hamare Nau. The other is a comedy titled Left Right Left.