Latest news with #RajeevKhandelwal
News18
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
They Ruled TV, Fell In Love, Then Drifted Apart: The Rajeev Khandelwal-Aamna Sharif Story
Ekta Kapoor's television drama Kahiin To Hoga was a turning point in Indian actor Rajeev Khandelwal's career. His portrayal of the brooding lead character, Sujal, made him a household name across India and marked a defining moment in both his professional and personal life. Rajeev Khandelwal starred opposite actress Aamna Sharif, and their on-screen chemistry drew significant praise. During the show's popular run, persistent rumours suggested that the two were dating, reportedly for about three to four years. While the role of Sujal brought Rajeev Khandelwal immense popularity, he found the sudden fame overwhelming. He eventually exited the show midway, stating in interviews that he no longer felt able to deliver the quality of work his audience deserved. He also decided never to take on a similar role again, despite receiving numerous film offers. Aamna Sharif continued with the series until its conclusion and later signed a film opposite Aftab Shivdasani, leading to speculation that the two, Aamna and Aftab, were dating. 5/6 In a 2008 interview with Hindustan Times, Rajeev Khandelwal confirmed that he no longer had any ties with Aamna Sharif and acknowledged that she was reportedly seeing someone else.
NDTV
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Rajeev Khandelwal On Why He Quit Kahiin Toh Hoga: "People Thought I Locked Horns With Ekta For My Ego"
New Delhi: Rajeev Khandelwal, who became a household name after he featured as Sujal Grewal in the Ekta Kapoor prime-time show Kahiin Toh Hoga, revealed why he left the show at the peak of his career. Rajeev shared he was offered a fat pay cheque when he informed the producers about his decision. But he refused the money as he was desperately looking for an improved "quality" of the show. What's Happening In a recent interview with SCREEN's "Dear Me...", Rajeev recalled how he took the decision of quitting the show. People's love, which made him a star, also became a deterrent factor for him leaving the show. "When I quit the show, it was only because I couldn't handle it. People loved me so much, and I thought I was not giving them back in terms of quality. That thinking of me being that for them was not working with me. After the character, I did not pick up any character that was similar to Sujal. I didn't want to be known as this romantic guy who was brooding. So I picked up a series called Time Bomb. I was being offered romantic characters in bulk. My well-wishers were telling me to buy one more house, a few cars, by playing such roles. I did Time Bomb, and it did not work; the same people who wrote big stories about me also wrote about my mighty fall with the same gusto," Rajeev shared. Rajeev Khandelwal added, "People wrote things like, 'he has become too big for his boots', but nobody knew the truth. What came across was that I locked horns with Ekta, that I am leaving her, and I must be thinking that I have arrived. I quit the show at its peak, refused the money, the popularity, so many thought I was egoistic. After I quit Left Right Left, I also knew I was not going to be offered much work in TV now. I realised no producer would give me work." Recalling how he was offered a hefty pay cheque, Rajeev said, "I had a lot of fights with the producers; nobody would be happy when you walk out of a show when it's doing well. When I was walking out of Kahiin toh Hoga, I went to Shobha (Kapoor) aunty, at that time, asking to leave the show was perceived as the actor wanted more money, which was also offered to me. They said they will increase my remuneration, and I said reduce it, but give me quality." About Kahiin Toh Hoga Headlined by Rajeev Khandelwal and Aamna Sharif, Kahiin Toh Hoga aired on television from September 2003 to February 2007. The show was created by Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Telefilms. In A Nutshell
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Rajeev Khandelwal locked horns with Ektaa Kapoor while quitting Kahiin To Hoga? Actor says, 'had a lot of fights with…'
Actor Rajeev Khandelwal began his acting journey with television shows and rose to fame with Ektaa Kapoor's Kahiin To Hoga. In a recent interview with Screen, Rajeev recalled how his decision to quit the show led to people calling him egoistic and revealed the real reason behind his exit. Rajeev Khandelwal talks about locking horns with Ektaa Kapoor. Rajeev admitted that while he was overwhelmed by the love and attention from fans following his performance in Kahiin To Hoga—including people waiting outside his home, letters slipped under his door, and constant calls and gifts—he ultimately felt he wasn't able to reciprocate that adoration with the quality he desired in his work. The actor shared that the reason he chose to leave the show was his struggle to deal with the pressure of living up to the audience's expectations. Wanting to break away from the romantic, brooding image associated with Sujal, Rajeev deliberately avoided similar roles. Rajeev says he had a lot of fight with producers He recalled that people assumed he had locked horns with Ektaa Kapoor when he left the show and added, 'People wrote things like, 'He has become too big for his boots', but nobody knew the truth. What came across was that I locked horns with Ektaa, that I was leaving her, and I must be thinking that I had arrived. I quit the show at its peak, refused the money, the popularity—so many thought I was egoistic. After I quit Left Right Left, I also knew I was not going to be offered much work on TV. I realised no producer would give me work.' He added, 'I had a lot of fights with producers—nobody is happy when you walk out of a show that's doing well. When I was walking out of Kahiin To Hoga, I went to Shobha (Kapoor) aunty. At that time, asking to leave a show was perceived as the actor wanting more money, which was also offered to me. They said they would increase my remuneration, and I said, reduce it—but give me quality.' Rajeev Khandelwal's recent work Meanwhile, Rajeev was last seen in the web series The Secret of the Shiledars. The show also featured Sai Tamhankar, Gaurav Amlani, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Dilip Prabhavalkar in key roles. Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, the show is available to stream on JioHotstar.
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Rajeev Khandelwal reveals why he quit Kahiin Toh Hoga, talks about last meeting with show's producers: ‘I locked horns with Ekta Kapoor, many thought I was egoistic'
Actor Rajeev Khandelwal has seen a stardom that many cannot even imagine. Even Rajeev finds it hard to explain what it was like to witness the love he got for his role, Sujal Grewal, in Kahiin Toh Hoga. The Ekta Kapoor-produced show that was released in 2003 made Rajeev Khandelwal a household name. It catapulted him to superstardom on Indian television, but just when he reached the top, Rajeev decided to return to the ground equally soon. In the latest episode of SCREEN's 'Dear Me…' Rajeev Khandelwal recalled his memories with Kahiin Toh Hoga – from bagging the role and witnessing the popularity, to quitting it, he shared that he left the show because of the audience's love. Talking about landing the role, he said, 'I had done a few ads, and slowly I started doing a little better. Whenever I used to earn some money, I used to go back to Delhi. During one of those trips, I read an ad that said, Balaji Telefilms has an audition for a show in a college. I went there and it looked like the entire Delhi wanted to become an actor. The richest and poorest kids were all there. So I thought it was fake, and they must have finalised someone already. I was also very nervous. Then a guy named Vishal called me and asked me to audition. I auditioned for Sujal, but I was picked to play a role in Kya Hadsa Kya Haqeeqat. Within four days, I got a call from Balaji, and I came to Mumbai.' Also Read: Rajeev Khandelwal opens up about being an atheist, reveals how fans attempted to influence his beliefs Rajeev further shared, 'I took up the role, it was for 35-40 episodes, and by then I knew that another guy was already cast for Kahiin Toh Hoga. He had started playing that character, and by the time I wrapped up my show, I was told that they had shot for 15 episodes already. However, after shooting that much, they decided to replace Sujal, and I could hear the buzz in Balaji that I was going to be picked for a character that is very close to her heart. One day, Ekta called me and offered me the role.' 'I had no idea that this character would work because I was the opposite. I considered myself not good-looking, and I was known to be a good-looking man. At no point in time did I think this show would become so popular. The day I was told that it would be telecast at 11 pm, I told myself that this would be a long struggle. I thought I would need a few more shows to get recognition. But in 15 episodes, I started seeing this excitement around me. I would find girls around me blushing, looking at me, and smiling. I kept telling myself it was for the character,' Rajeev added. He also shared, 'It hit me the day one of the leading publications called me asking for an interview, which came on the front page. After 25 episodes, I started cutting ribbons, and I was everywhere, and then it went through the roof. I just couldn't handle it, felt very unreal. Nobody will understand that feeling other than me and Ekta. Once I went to my house and I could not even enter, I couldn't go on the terrace because they were filled with people. I would fly kites, and girls would drop kites with messages written for Sujal on them. A lot of things changed overnight. I was getting so many film offers.' A post shared by SCREEN (@ieentertainment) Recalling the love he got from fans, Rajeev Khandelwal said, 'I was very truthful to myself, and I never took up the film offers because I wanted to prove to myself that I was much more than Sujal. A lot of people also kept telling me that this is what happens with serials that one gets popular, and you get stuck in that image. For me, the love was so overwhelming that I couldn't deal with it. People would wait outside my home, letters were slipped un from under the door, women would come and bless me, I would get weird calls now and then. I was inundated with gifts.' Sharing why he chose to quit the show, Rajeev added, 'When I quit the show, it was only because I couldn't handle it. People loved me so much, and I thought I was not giving them back in terms of quality. That thinking of me being that for them was not working with me. After the character, I did not pick up any character that was similar to Sujal. I didn't want to be known as this romantic guy who was brooding. So I picked up a series called Time Bomb. I was being offered romantic characters in bulk. My well-wishers were telling me to buy one more house, a few cars, by playing such roles. I did Time Bomb, and it did not work; the same people who wrote big stories about me also wrote about my mighty fall with the same gusto.' Don't Miss: Rajeev Khandelwal recalls casting couch experience during which he was serenaded with a song, sent away with icy warning A post shared by SCREEN (@ieentertainment) Rajeev Khandelwal also shared, 'People wrote things like, 'he has become too big for his boots', but nobody knew the truth. What came across was that I locked horns with Ekta, that I am leaving her, and I must be thinking that I have arrived. I quit the show at its peak, refused the money, the popularity, so many thought I was egoistic. After I quit Left Right Left, I also knew I was not going to be offered much work in TV now. I realised no producer would give me work.' 'I had a lot of fights with the producers; nobody would be happy when you walk out of a show when it's doing well. When I was walking out of Kahiin toh Hoga, I went to Shobha (Kapoor) aunty, at that time, asking to leave the show was perceived as the actor wanted more money, which was also offered to me. They said they will increase my remuneration, and I said reduce it, but give me quality.' On the work front, Rajeev Khandelwal was last seen in the OTT shows – Secrets of Shiledaars and Showtime. Nawaz Kochra is an enthusiastic entertainment journalistic for the last 9 years, he has been a known face and successfully worked with some big publications. At Nawaz majorly covers TV and OTT and also does video interviews. Having the best conversations with celebrities is what Nawaz loves. ... Read More
Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Rajeev Khandelwal opens up about being an atheist, reveals how fans attempted to influence his beliefs
Actor Rajeev Khandelwal, long celebrated for his work on Indian television and films, is now making his presence felt in the OTT space. In the latest episode of SCREEN's Dear Me… Season 2, he reflected on his showbiz journey and also spoke candidly about being an atheist, sharing how people around him have responded to his spiritual beliefs. Talking about being an atheist, Rajeev said, 'I would call myself someone who is agnostic. I respect others and their religion. But I have never believed in God, and I don't pray.' Rajeev Khandelwal went on to share how during Kahiin Toh Hoga fans tried to change his belief system. Rajeev recalled, 'When I was doing Kahiin Toh Hoga, I used to feel terrible because a lot of people came to know I am an atheist, and they would forcibly come and put religious things in my house. I remember there was a woman who had come and put a picture of God at the exit door. It was put above the light switch, so that by chance, when I switched off the light, my hand would touch the picture. I used to feel bad for them. I didn't want to remove it. People would send me Ganpati idols, and I would politely say that I don't believe.' He added, 'People's love is amazing. They would sometimes say that keep it for us, and I would. I go to temples, I don't have any issues in folding hands, but I am thinking of something else when I do that.' Also Read: Rajeev Khandelwal says Ekta Kapoor was 'upset' with him when he quit Kahiin To Hoga, Jeetendra told him he was 'making a mistake' Rajeev Khandelwal also shared how his family looks at his belief system. 'My wife is god fearing, but she is not a strong believer. My parents were fake believers. They were God fearing. They would ask me to sit for pujas, but they were not believers that way. People around me know me very well. I respect people genuinely, and everyone is entitled to whatever they are doing, and nobody is superior. That is more important than believing in God.' In the interview, held at Hunky Dory Restaurant in Malad, Mumbai, Rajeev Khandelwal also spoke about staying true to himself and upholding his principles throughout his journey. Nawaz Kochra is an enthusiastic entertainment journalistic for the last 9 years, he has been a known face and successfully worked with some big publications. At Nawaz majorly covers TV and OTT and also does video interviews. Having the best conversations with celebrities is what Nawaz loves. ... Read More
