The scribe strikes-- Rajeev khandelwal

http://m.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/the-scribe-strikes/article7109592.ece/

Noted actor Rajeev Khandelwal is back on Sony channel with the show "Reporter" after a gap. Beginning his journey in the television industry in 2002 with a thriller show "Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqeeqat" he received recognition following "Kahin To Hoga" in which he essayed the role of a scorned lover Sujal Garewal. Rajeev has also acted in films including "Shaitan", "Aamir" and "Table No. 21" among others.

Asked if the new show heralds his return to the small screen he said he was not sure about what is yet to come his way though he does not want to leave this space because of the love and recognition it brought him.

Excerpts from the interview:

Is there anything in this show that tells about the clash between personal and professional life of the journalists?

This show is not about news at all. Something keeps happening other than what happens in the professional life of a person. So this show is about the life of the characters in it. It is not just about how news is presented but it is also about what is going on behind the cameras. After the cut and before the action there are a lot of things going on in the organisation. With the beginning of a person's career in a news organisation, a journalist has goals to achieve. It is basically the first attempt to show the world of a journalism on TV.

A little about the research for your character Kabir in "Reporters".

The research was done mostly by the research team. On my part, I think it has been more of an observation than research. I have been observing a lot of anchors and reporters. I remember during "Sach ka Samna", I had an earpiece in my ear. So, I know that all the anchors are wired to the PCR or their control room. Apart from that I have also been observing their emotions because as an actor, I must understand their emotions to make the people feel them.

Did you take anything from any of the anchors you observed?

I would like to say that every anchor has a unique style. I really did not want to copy any particular anchor. Some of the anchors are so dramatic that you can imitate them easily. But, I tried to steer clear from copying any anchor. I wanted to make a new personality with a new style for my character. When you see an anchor, their personality is visible when they are reading news or when you see them outside the newsroom. A lot has come from a director. I would say that I was just myself and it was the director who gave the direction.

There is a kissing scene in the promos that people are talking about.

When I got the script I was pretty excited because it was something new that was coming up. Even when I saw Kritika on the set, she was pretty fine with the kissing scene because we knew that nobody will be talking about the kiss in the promos, even though they are. There are several takeaways in the kissing scene. One is that every girl should answer such a cheap behaviour with a slap no matter who the person is. And another was that news can be sensationalised. One promo conveys a lot of things.

Since the time of your first show, what change have you observed in television industry?

Television has not changed in terms of execution but it has definitely changed in terms of technique. It has become better. We are shooting on better cameras. Before we used to shoot for 14-15 hours but now we shoot for 10-11 hours. And the attitude has also changed. Now we don't think that we are working for television. We believe that we are working for something we are so passionate about. I don't say that television is smaller than Bollywood. I would rather say that it is much bigger than it. It is just that the people call it the chhota parda.