Rajeev Khandelwal, who first rose to fame through television before stepping into films, continues to choose his projects with care. In a recent interview, he revisited memories of ‘Chenab Gandhi,’ a film that never took off, which was to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Rajeev Khandelwal on why he agreed to ‘Chenab Gandhi’
Though Rajeev has never been particularly inclined toward commercial cinema, the actor admitted that the chance to work with Bhansali on ‘Chenab Gandhi’ was hard to pass up. Reflecting on his decision in an interview with Pinkvilla, he said, “I was signed by a commercial director. You guys must have read about it. I was signed by a very popular film director in our industry. I was in a two-film deal with him, but that film never took off. That was the only commercial film I signed. Also, that film looked commercial because it was being directed by a commercial filmmaker, but the script was one of the very few good scripts that I have read. But that film never got made. I’m talking about Chenab Gandhi. I signed the film because of the script.”
Rajeev Khandelwal reveals the conditions he set before signing
Even after being approached by Bhansali, Rajeev made it clear that he would only commit to the project if he truly connected with the script. Recalling his early conversations with the filmmaker, he shared, “At that time also I asked Bhansali that you should test me and you tell me you want me; after that, you give me the liberty to ask you for the script and also give me the freedom to say no. You do whatever you want, screen test and look test, but on the day you will say, ‘Rajeev, I want you.‘ After that, I will read the script, and I will also have a right to say yes or no. He respected that, and he kept meeting me for 15-20 days. After that, I read the script, and I was shaken up; I have never read a script like that in my life. I agreed to do it. Not because of the setup, but because the script was this.”
What ‘Chenab Gandhi’ was about
For those who don’t know, ‘Chenab Gandhi’ was one of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s most talked-about projects. The film was meant to be a biographical drama based on the life of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the famous freedom fighter known as Frontier Gandhi. However, reports said that the project was later dropped after Bhansali had a disagreement with his assistant, Vibhu Puri, who was supposed to direct the film.
Rajeev Khandelwal talks about staying true to his principles
Rajeev also acknowledged that in the film industry, many actors progress by agreeing to everything big directors say. However, he shared that he has deliberately stayed true to his values, choosing not to compromise on his principles, even if it meant turning down prominent filmmakers when a script didn’t resonate with him.
Rajeev Khandelwal opens up on turning down another big film
Recalling another experience from his career, Rajeev shared, “Another incident happened to me. I will not take the name of the film because it is well-known. I asked a very well-known director again that he should screen test me, but I told him that I will read the script, and if I don’t like it, I will say no. He told me I perfectly fit the bill, but when I read the script, I told him that ‘I don’t think I want to do this film.’ He said okay. When the film was releasing, I met him again, and the film was promoted massively, and I was thinking if I made the right choice, and the actor who played that character was very loved, and that actor passed away. The film was a flop after it was released. So I took the right call. ”.
