Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Feb 19: Actor Rajeev Khandelwal, who transitioned from a successful television career to films, has opened up about his long-shelved project Chenab Gandhi with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, revealing why he agreed to the film and how it eventually never took off.

In a recent interaction with Pinkvilla, Rajeev shared that he has never been inclined towards commercial cinema, but Chenab Gandhi was an exception because of its powerful script.

“I was signed by a very popular film director of 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,” he said.

Despite being approached by Bhansali, Rajeev said he was clear from the beginning that he would only commit after reading the script and retaining the freedom to walk away if he did not connect with it.

“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 that ‘Rajeev, I want you’, after that, I will read the script, and I will also have a right to say yes or no,” he recalled.

He added that Bhansali respected his stance and met him over 15–20 days before he finally read the script.

“I was shaken up. I have never read a script like that in my life. I agreed to do it — not because of the set-up, but because the script was this,” he said.

Chenab Gandhi was planned as a biographical drama on Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the legendary freedom fighter popularly known as Frontier Gandhi. However, reports at the time suggested that the ambitious project was shelved following Bhansali’s fallout with his then-assistant Vibhu Puri, who was slated to make his directorial debut with the film.

Rajeev further admitted that in an industry where being agreeable to major filmmakers can open doors, he has consciously chosen not to compromise on his principles.

Recalling another incident, he said he once declined a well-known film despite being told he perfectly fit the role.

“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.”

Rajeev also reflected on a past instance where he questioned whether he had made the right choice after turning down a film that was heavily promoted. However, he said the project eventually underperformed at the box office, reaffirming his belief in trusting his instincts.

For the actor, the script remains the deciding factor — even when the offer comes from one of the biggest names in Bollywood.