I am dying to do an epic romance: Rajeev Khandelwal

Rajeev Khandelwal, who’s been missing in action for a while, is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Table No 21. The film’s trailer is out and the actor is excited with the response it’s been garnering. “It will be a shocker for the audience. It’s a film where I play a game with Paresh Rawal without realising its consequences,” he shares. Any talk about it being similar to Indecent Proposal is dismissed with, “I am enjoying such comments because people will realise it is different. The film has a lot of depth,” says Rajeev, who did several workshops to get the look right. He’s lost three kilos for the film and now plans to keep it that way. Table No 21 will be the first release of 2013 and Rajeev is hoping it will prove to be a good start. So far, it’s been a mixed bag for the actor who has had four releases. While his debut film Aamir fetched him rave reviews, Soundtrack, that had him playing a deaf DJ was critically acclaimed and Shaitaan where he played a tough cop found favour with critics and audiences. However, his one attempt at masala fare Will You Marry Me?, ended up being a damp squib at the BO. “It was badly released and delayed by a year,” defends Rajeev.

The TV heartthrob also did a Tanuja Chandra film Raakh, which is yet to see the light of the day. “It’s a very good film but I don’t know what happened. It’s in the realm of supernatural but not a horror film,” says Rajeev, who was to do a couple of other films like Joker (with Prachi Desai) and Fever, but they are yet to take off. “It’s important to work with people who have the ability to visualise a film the way you see it. Some projects were wonderful at the script level and I immediately said yes, but now I am going to be very careful. When you are working with new people, their first reaction when you sign the film is to announce it. When it doesn’t take off, it is disturbing,” explains Rajeev, who has now shortlisted a film with a big banner but is wary about announcing it.

Interestingly, the actor, despite his romantic image courtesy his role as the loverboy Sujal (Kaahin Toh Hoga), is yet to serenade a girl on the big screen. “It’s so ironical — I was this romantic guy of TV and I chose to shatter that. Now, after the whole image shift, I am dying to do an epic romance,” says the actor. What is stopping him? “I don’t want to do a typical done-to-death love story. I want to do a Heer Ranjha, Romeo Juliet, Jab We Met kind of a film with a soul, which will straight go to the library,” he smiles. Hope filmmakers are tuned in!