After a gap of close to a decade, actor Rajeev Khandelwal marked his return to television, the medium that made him a household name over two decades ago, with the game show Tum Ho Naa this month. Excited about this return, Rajeev Khandelwal says, “I had to stay away from television because it was not offering me what I wanted to do. But when this show was offered, I said yes because I enjoy hosting and I could connect with it as it’s about celebrating the women in our lives. My television audience has been waiting for me to do something for them, and I used to feel bad that I couldn’t do anything but I didn’t want to do things that I don’t want to do. This show is my way of giving thanks back to the people who have loved me so much.”
The actor says he is quite proud of the format of the show as it doesn’t fall in the unnecessary controversy-creating kinds of shows. “It’s not a very complex show. It is a reality show but not one where we are provoking people to fight or creating situations that will push them over the edge. It’s not a voyeuristic viewing but a show about celebrating life.”
With Tum Ho Naa, Rajeev returns to hosting after eight years and he admits being nervous before beginning this stint. “I was biting my nails a few days before the shoot as this show is in a different arena. If you see my previous shows like Sach Ka Saamna, there I knew that after a point the focus will be taken away by the story of the contestant. I was just a catalyst. But this one is an organic show where I am not playing with cue cards. There are moments where I even forget about the camera. “
Ask him if fiction shows are also something that he is looking to do again and contrary to belief, the actor shares that he is still willing to work in those. “The lack of experimentation has kept me away from fiction TV. I never want to be confined as a one-medium actor. I always wanted to do television but every time they would come to me with only daily soaps. I am still waiting to do something on fiction television again but unfortunately no one has yet started the limited episodes concept on the medium,” he says.
While Rajeev has dabbled into all the mediums, be it films, TV or OTT, he insists he doesn’t have much credits to his name because of the industry prioritising quality over quantity. “That’s the nature of our industry. They will never let anything remain novel for many years. It’s the greed that takes over. It’s a human thing and it will happen because it is an entertainment business, and when the term business comes in, it becomes about making more and more money,” he ends.