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CAPTAIN Rajveer Singh Shekhawat's uniform hangs on a wall in Rajeev Khandelwal's green room in Powai's Chitrarth studio, where the actor is shooting for SAB TV's popular Left Right Left. The military outfit will soon be useless as its owner is quitting the show.
"Captain Rajveer Singh's track in the story is meeting a logical end. Singh is a military officer and therefore, his tenure in the academy can't continue for more than two-and-a-half years," says Khandelwal.
Producers of the TRP-grabbing show aren't too happy, and there are rumours of him starring in a film with his TV co-star Aamna Shariff. However, Khandelwal is tight-lipped. "I'm not leaving the show for any other reason. I don't think TRPs should decide a character's shelf-life," he insists. "I have often been approached for films but either the scripts weren't interesting enough or I couldn't trust the makers."
Quitting shows is nothing new for television's heartthrob; as Khandelwal moved out of Balaji's Kahiin To Hoga, Ekta Kapoor failed to find a suitable replacement for the hugely popular character of Sujal, essayed by him, and the show was eventually taken off air.
"For me, Balaji is just another production house. I don't believe in God; leave alone considering Ekta as god. To survive in the industry one has to believe in his or her abilities," he says.
Few years back, Kahiin To catapulted Khandelwal to instant stardom, but he is still close to his humble roots. "I'm still a small-town guy at heart. I love to go the bazaar and clean house myself. I feel left out at page-three parties," says the 31-year-old actor who hails from Jaipur.
He also reveals how things have changed in his hometown, post stardom. "Now, whenever I go home, there are endless visitors. Besides, girls from nearby hostels pour in to meet me," he shyly submits.
As we chat, he also entertained his friends' text messages, and that gave him a chance to talk about his school and college pals. "I have no friends in the industry, except Left Right's director Anshuman Kishore Singh and Aamna," he says. He puts to rest rumours about his supposed romance with her. "I will marry the moment I meet someone who makes me weak in the knees. My parents, though, have given up any hopes of my marriage," he laughs.
At present, Khandelwal is looking forward to his sabbatical and is also keen to indulge his newfound passion, photography. "Over the last year, I shot portraits of people I met while travelling. I plan to tour the north-east of India soon, but a holiday will happen only when I finalise my next project," he adds.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=244612
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