Now making news...

Rajeev Khandelwal has been a household name for a while now. Critics and media have showered praise for his role in the show Kahiin to Hoga and his skillful acting in the film Aamir. The handsome actor is back on the small screen with an interesting show called Reporters, along with the pretty Kritika Kamra.

Rajeev plays the role of Kabir, a smart reporter who is hungry to break news stories. And he has this to say about the new avatar, “I am nervous right now. I feel like a newcomer! Television is certainly a tough game, considering the pressure of daily delivery. There is a need to reinvent oneself.”

But Rajeev is best known for his quality of standing out from the rest of the crowd — the decision to quit television at the zenith of his career, his choice of film for his debut (Aamir), something that few of his peers would dare to do.

After Aamir, Rajeev acted in Shaitan, Table No 21 and Samrat & Co. In between, Rajeev hosted the much-talked-about reality show called Sach Ka Saamna, which again was a success. His new show on Sony (Reporters) revolves around the life of television journalists, with a special focus on newsroom stories. The show is produced by Shrishti Arya Behl and directed by Goldie Behl, maker of Drona.

Interestingly, the show has started with a very powerful promo that shows Rajeev and his co-star Kritika Kamra in a lip-lock! “We were quite sure about the promo’s effect,” he says, explaining, “The main emphasis was not the lip-lock, but the slap. What we wanted to show is that not under any circumstance should a woman take any kind of offense. I hoped the promo stayed on air for a longer time so we could get more responses from the viewers.”

So, who does Rajeev follow when it comes to news anchors? “I love Ravish Kumar. He has a subtle way of presenting news. Rajdeep Sardesai is a fantastic anchor, and then there is Dr Prannoy Roy, who is my favourite. I would say my character Kabir is an amalgamation of Arnab Goswami, Rajdeep Sardesai, Shekhar Gupta and Rahul Kanwal.” Rajeev is “confident about one thing... the content of the show.” Because, he asserts, this kind of serial has never been made on Indian television. The show also features the romantic story of Kabir and Ananya, with the backdrop of a newsroom.

Presenting news often deals with ethical dilemmas. How does Rajeev address this? “If you ask this to Rajeev, then definitely ethics become more important. But if you ask this to Kabir, breaking news and nothing else is important. As I am working on such a show, I know how much a journalist has to chase for a story, and how he should only care for the news afterwards, and nothing else.”

The lead pair, Rajeev and Kritika, went to a few newsrooms to get into the skin of their roles. Rajeev emphasises that “working with Kritika is a pleasant surprise.” She is a passionate person like me, and she has zero tantrums on the set, which helps us to deliver better.”

Now that he has returned to television, how does he see his film career? His last release, Samrat & Co, didn’t receive a warm response from the audience. He says, “Of course, films will happen, but I want my audience to watch the show first. There was a time when my film career was questioned because I was from TV. And then there came a time, after Aamir, to switch to Sach Ka Samna. People then asked whether I would be able to host a show. Now, with this show, people wonder if I will be successful!”

Well, with his talent and passion for work, can Rajeev become anything but successful?