Playing a cocky Bollywood superstar can be fun. But when Rajeev Khandelwal was offered the role in Showtime, he approached it with equal parts curiosity and skepticism, as it was a departure from anything he had played before. As the second part of the drama premières online, the actor’s doubts have been laid to rest.

People see me as intense and romantic, but this was completely [divorced from] the characters I have played. So, this praise has been unexpected. When your peers find you convincing, it feels great. When my wife said, ‘I loved your cockiness,’ it felt as if the appreciation coming my way is justified,” he chuckles.

From Bollywood’s drama-ridden corridors in Showtime, Khandelwal is now gearing up for a treasure hunt of sorts with his next Disney+ Hotstar show. The yet-untitled series, helmed by Munjya maker Aditya Sarpotdar, is an adaptation of Marathi novel Pratipashchandra. For the actor, the highlight is working with Sarpotdar. “There are people who want to bring another side to you [on screen]. Aditya is one of them. In this series, he will perform more than us because it’s all about storytelling. I keep telling him, ‘You had Munjya and Kakuda. Now, make this as big as Munjya,’” he laughs.

In a career spanning over two decades, Khandelwal has followed his own rules, be it transitioning to films at the peak of his TV career or taking regular breaks. “There is no safe way to approach anything. If you have [talent] and experiment, you will fall and rise, but you have to believe in yourself. Don’t believe in what others say. It is good to know that I didn’t corrupt myself.”