One life, it’s my life: Rajeev Khandelwal

He’s just three films old and has already been tagged a thinking man’s actor. But Rajeev Khandelwal insists that he never planned his films. “I don’t have any blueprints to my career — my choice has been based entirely on instincts and has nothing to do with the genre of films, remuneration or my co-stars,” he explains, adding, “The script should turn me on and I’m game.”

In his forthcoming film, Soundtrack, Rajeev plays a noted musician. “He’s a small town guy who comes to the city with dreams. He manages to achieve quite a bit but with success, comes a lot of temptation — women, alcohol, drugs included. His career nosedives but his love for music helps him resurrect himself,” he informs.

The actor feels it’s a human story of an ordinary guy, ‘a believable journey’. “But it’s been pretty taxing mentally as well. There were days when it got so intense that I just wanted to be by myself. In fact, I had also requested the director (Neerav Ghosh) to shoot this phase on a linear basis,” Rajeev recollects, adding, “Such was the intensity that I’d tend to withdraw to myself and my wife would keep asking me why I was acting funny — it wasn’t easy.”

Coincidentally, all his three films — Aamir, Shaitan and Soundtrack — are by first-time directors. “For me, content is king and I’m definitely not averse to working with debutants. In fact, I feel a first-time director, who has been waiting for his film to get made for some time, has a strange passion and frustration that’s beneficial to the film as a whole and me, as an actor,” he states.

And after a very successful stint on television, Rajeev is in no hurry when it comes to his filmi career. “I’ve always been comfortable in any space — even no space. I have a simple logic — I don’t live for or because of the world. I don’t let expectations bother me. It’s my journey, which I want to walk my way. Hence competition can’t affect me,” he says, adding, “I’m growing with each project and that’s what matters.”