Rajeev Khandelwal on playing a negative role in Bloody Daddy: People refuse to believe that I am not that romantic boy anymore

Actor Rajeev Khandelwal stepped into the negative zone with his role in the Shahid Kapoor-starrer Bloody Daddy earlier this year and got rave reviews for his performance. However, the actor, best remembered as Sujal Garewal in TV show, Kahiin To Hoga and Rajveer Singh Shekhawat in Left Right Left, admits that it was a move which came with its share of inhibitions, as his past work continues to loom shadow on his present.

“The problem is I don’t know how the image got formed. I have not played a romantic character after my first show. But that image is deeply ingrained in their hearts and minds. I have done projects such as Aamir (2008), Shaitaan (2011) and Table No 21 (2013), but people refuse to believe that I am not that romantic boy anymore,” he says.

That being said, the 47-year-old is happy yet confused that his first outing as a “negative and sly antagonist” turned out to be “overwhelming and unexpected”. He tells us, “I was actually sceptical about people accepting me in this kind of character because I come with a little bit of baggage and the impression that I have on people who have been following my work. I wasn’t really sure if I’ll be convincing enough for them.”

The Jaipur-born actor, who enjoys a dedicated fanbase since his small screen days, is glad that audiences have liked him in the negative territory. “But, at the same time, they still have that image of mine. I don’t know how to break that image of mine of being this nice and good boy. I don’t know how to shed that off. It doesn’t hamper my choices in any way, but I have to put an extra effort to be convincing. Now, I have more projects, which will be coming later this year, which don’t go in totality with my so-called image.”

As he continues to explore new avenues, Khandelwal is happy that he made a career on his own terms. “It wasn’t easy as I used to be very apprehensive about my position. With each call of mine, I got a lot of strength to take further steps,” he says, recalling that when he decided to quit his first show, he was advised by many not to do it. “That was actually clouding my judgement. I was offered more money to not quit. But I followed my gut. After a couple of years, when it was not over for me, as predicted by many, I drew a lot of strength from my decision. And that remains true till date of following my gut instinct and keeping insecurity away from me,” he wraps up.