Rajeev Khandelwal grew to be one of the most popular actors in Indian television when he starred in hit shows like ‘Kahiin To Hoga’, ‘Left Right Left’, and ‘CID’ to name a few. However, after dominating television, he decided to step into films. He made his Bollywood debut with ‘Aamir’ which went on to become critically acclaimed. In a latest interview, the actor revealed how difficult it was to find producers for the movie.
Speaking to News18, Rajeev Khandelwal opened up about how the makers of ‘Aamir’ went through a tough time looking for producers who were willing to put money into this film. He revealed that producers were hesitant because they were not willing to put their money into a project that starred a television actor.
Khandelwal revealed, “When I was doing ‘Aamir’, Anurag Kashyap (who was one of the makers of the film) told me later that he went to so many producers to finance the film. He went from pillar to post and told everyone that I have Rajeev Khandelwal who is very popular on television. And all of them said and they said that they didn’t want a popular face. Even if you take a newcomer, it’s fine with us, but a TV actor, maybe no.”
‘Aamir’ revolved around the life of a doctor who had returned to Mumbai from London for a family emergency. However, he ends up finding himself in dangerous situations. The movie was inspired by the post-9/11 era.
The actor continued, “Anurag had that conviction. He finally met Vikas Bahl from UTV. I was told later that Vikas asked Anurag, ‘Why do you want Rajeev? Is it because the budget is less?’ They thought that the budget was less, that’s why they are casting a TV actor. But both of them believed in me and that is how ‘Aamir’ happened.”
Khandelwal will be next seen in ‘Showtime’ which will take the audience into the darker side of cinema and celebrities.
