Rajeev Khandelwal is a versatile artist who has showcased his talent across various platforms including television, OTT, and big screens. Recently, the actor discussed how the Bollywood's perception towards television actors is "very wrong." He highlighted that many producers and directors tend to look down on TV actors and often prefer to work with newcomers instead. In a chat with News18 Showsha, he explained, "The perception of TV is very wrong in our industry. They think it is a small-medium, TV actors do not work. They want to work with a newcomer but not with a television actor. If you look at my career, you'll see after Aamir, I did Sach Ka Saamna. I went back to TV. The idea was to set an example. Who are you to tell me, ‘Rajeev TV par mat jaana'. Everyone told me the same. I broke those so-called norms.”
Rajeev Khandelwal asserted that it is wrong for television actors to believe they are less talented than movie stars.
“I have not been a part of the TV industry for around 7 years. I feel that actors themselves feel inferior to film actors. They still feel that films are bigger. The biggest of superstars will not be to match the fan followings that TV actors have. They need to feel proud and happy about themselves and must not compare themselves. Their positioning will last way longer. The love that you get is very organic. The love that film actors get is manufactured,” said the actor.
This is not the first time Rajeev Khandelwal has talked about Bollywood's apprehensions towards TV actors. Previously, the actor revealed when he was chosen as a lead in Anurag Kashyap's Aamir, several producers refused to back the project as they were not willing to put their money on a “TV actor”.
In a chat with Zoom, Rajeev Khandelwal said, "Anurag Kashyap went from one producer to another but they weren't willing to back a popular ‘TV actor' till he met Vikas Bahl." Released in 2008, Aamir also featured Gajraj Rao, Rohitash Gaud and Sudipto Balav. The film was backed by UTV Spotboy.
Rajeev Khandelwal was last seen in the Disney+ Hotstar series Showtime. It featured Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, Mahima Makwana and Mouni Roy.