 "Rajeev Khandelwal: 'There are certain actors whose stardom is synthetic, I can't give you names but...'")
Rajeev Khandelwal dominated Indian television with his appearance in Kahiin To Hoga and Left Right Left. He, then, embarked on a new journey and appeared in numerous films including Aamir, Table No 21, and Shahid Kapoor starrer Bloody Daddy. Khandelwal who will soon be seen in the OTT series Showtime, recently, revealed how stardom today is synthetic and the evolution of OTT.
He said, “It used to be organic. We used to be absolutely unaware of the kind of followers anybody would have or count the numbers of fans that anybody would have. And today, the stardom has become very, very, very, what do I say, synthetic. It is manufactured. So much so, for so many actors, I cannot give you the names, but then you also know, I also know, everybody knows that they are manufactured."
About the evolution of OTT, the actor stated, “It is now, as I said, it is a great thing that has happened to the entertainment industry because firstly, the kind of experiment that one can do in the longer formats. You can’t do it in a shorter format like a film. Films are just a couple of hours of entertainment and then you go away. If you have to tell stories, and there are different kinds of stories, but platforms have given, OTT has given makers and others to explore into a variety of things.”
He added, “OTT has definitely been a great addition to the entertainment industry and it has of course taken over like a storm which I used to say it about four or five years back that future is already here, the future is the present I used to say I did not believe it till the time I think some very senior names did not start associating with the OTT. Now, the moment you see that everyone, there is no actor who is, we can’t call anybody an OTT actor.”
During the conversation, Rajeev Khandelwal was also asked about his prep for the character he plays and he said, “Once I stepped into the world on the sets, it just happened very instinctively, everything was very very organic. I think the first scene that I shot for is the one that made me understand how they are looking at the character and how I am looking at the character and how I can take it beyond their expectations and beyond my own expectations because this was not a very comfortable turf for me.”
He added, “This was a very different turf for me. And then it became very collaborative. I think I can’t take the credit for this one, this character. I cannot take the credit, if you like this character by the way, I cannot take the credit that I am an actor who understands what the director is saying and then I have the ability to deliver what my director is expecting. But to say that I created this character would be wrong because a lot of me and Archit also went into making this character.”
Rajeev Khandelwal , who has been in the industry for two decades, will be essaying the role of a popular Superstar, Armaan, in his upcoming drama show titled Showtime. Directed by Mihir Desai and Archit Kumar, the series will divulge the internal politics and dark secrets of the showbiz. Apart from Khandelwal, the show will also be featuring Emraan Hashmi. Mouni Roy, Mahima Makwana, Naseeruddin Shah, and Shriya Saran in pivotal roles. Showtime will start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from March 8 onwards.