Meet 'Shah Rukh Khan of TV', army kid who was 'thrown out of house' for..., one role made him superstar, failed in films, faced casting couch, he is...

An outsider becoming an overnight superstar- Rajeev Khandelwal experienced this phenomenon, and it was surreal for him. Hailing from a non-filmy background, Rajeev achieved what millions dream about. However, his road to success wasn't an easy ride. In a recent interview, he revealed that his love for acting made him thrown out of his house. From Delhi to Mumbai, Rajeev's journey is nothing less than a movie. From struggling to make ends meet to becoming a heartthrob of girls by playing Sujal in Kahin Toh Hoga, Rajeev has seen it all. 

Rajeev was asked to leave his house? 

While speaking on Zoom, Rajeev revealed that he hails from an army background. His father is Retd Lt. Col. C.L. Khandelwal. When Sr Khandelwal learnt about his son's aspiration of becoming a movie star, he told him to look out for his survival. "I was thrown out of my house. My parents said they didn't understand what this industry is all about. They knew that I had it in me to live my life decently, but they wondered, 'acting ka bhoot kaha se aagaya'. Rajeev further recalled what his father told him, "'Do what you want and earn. It was like either you stay here and do the conventional things which students of your age are doing, (otherwise) if you want to be a romantic hero and do acting, I don't have the money to sponsor you because I have two other sons'."

When Rajeev faced the casting couch 

Before Kahin Toh Hoga, Rajeev experienced an unpleasant meeting where he was expected to do 'favours' for the role. Recalling the horrors of the casting couch, Rajeev remembered his firm stand against it, and said, "When it happened, I straight-up told the person, ‘Sorry sir, mere se nahi milega aapko.’ In my head, I knew, is this the person who’s going to decide my fate? No. I write my own destiny. I never gave anyone the power to make or break my life."

Rajeev became a star on TV, but failed in movies

Rajeev made the leap of faith, and after achieving stardom in TV, he debuted in Bollywood with sleeper hit Aamir (2008).

However, post-Aamir, Rajeev starred in back-to-back flops. Some of the titles are Will You Marry Me?, Soundtrack, Samrat & Co., Fever, and Pranaam. At the work front, Rajeev tasted success again with OTT. He was last seen in The Secret of the Shiledars.