Rajeev Khandelwal is antithesis of an an actor. He refuses to adhere to the rules of the glamour industry and feels that an actor's status shouldn't be deter mined by his swanky car or palatial house. Instead, it should be assessed on how well he connects with his audience. Even as he focuses on the big screen now, the man isn't in a mood to quit television yet.In a freewheeling chat with Bombay Times, he speaks about his upcoming film Fever, the growth of indie films and the power of the tube...

What made you think that this film is a hot proposition?
The script is exciting and original. It is loaded with suspense and has a great style of storytelling. The movie is set in Switzerland and I have three beautiful women opposite me.

Ever faked a fever to wriggle out of school or a meeting?
I used to put onions under my armpits hoping that it would result in fever, not just to escape school, but also my mom's fury. However, this Fever is not detrimental to your health and I hope everyone catches it.

It must have been nerve-wracking to romance three women (Gauahar Khan, Gemma Atkinson and Caterina Murino) from three different nationalities on screen.
I feel like an achiever (laughs). Men might envy me, but for an actor, it becomes a routine after a few days of shoot. Initially, I was apprehensive, but the women helped me to make the chemistry look natural. They put me at ease so that I could approach the intimate scenes like any other emotion. After that, I didn't even think twice about what my boundary should be.

Unlike your other films, there are a lot of intimate scenes in Fever. Do you think sex sells on screen?
Till a few years ago, sex used to help sell films, but not anymore. Today, people can easily watch it on several mediums. They'll not spend Rs 300 to catch glimpses of it in a film. Several movies laced with sexual innuendos and scenes haven't worked at the box office. People who have followed my work should come to watch this film expecting something different. Fever is more cerebral than physical.

Were you worried about the film facing any kind of censor trouble?
We were, but surprisingly, it passed without any cuts. It's strange that we can show bloodshed, but not love on screen. How can anyone decide that a couple can't kiss for the fifth time in a film? Having said that, the discussions and disagreements that the industry and the Censor Board have had in the past have only helped both the parties to evolve and co-exist.

What's the real Rajeev Khandelwal like?
I don't take myself seriously and that's not a calculated approach. I don't want people to look at me as an icon because it's a huge responsibility. I am an ordinary person and fallible. I don't have agendas in life and have no expectations from people. Professionally, I want to be in a comfortable position where I can choose roles that match my sensibilities and not look for means to be part of projects I want to be associated with. I have never thought of big banners but I hope I can make small banners big and that will be a real victory.

Given the overnight success of Aamir, don't you think your progress in Bollywood has been rather slow?
I don't live in a fool's paradise and I know my strengths and weaknesses. A lot of people wanted to work with me after Aamir, but I was clear that I wouldn't just take up anything. I didn't want people to cash in on the movie's popularity. I wasted two years when a film didn't see the light of the day and a senior director kept me on tenterhooks. I had to start afresh. The industry has been fair and I have got more than what I deserve. I'm aware that I'm not the finest actor around. I know I still need to evolve and grow but I have been accepted in both television and films. What more can I ask for?

Don't you wish to act in a typical Bollywood potboiler to join the big league?
It's not about being on top, but about being in the game. The biggest commercial films have been a debacle, whereas indie films have been successful because they are content driven. Besides, a typical Bollywood potboiler replete with a few jokes and dancing around the trees is dying cinema. Having said that, actors do require a great deal of talent to pull it off since it doesn't exist in the real world and there is nothing around you to derive inspiration from. Now, even my contemporaries are doing content-driven films. As for me, I am happy being part of different and more thoughtful cinema.

Would you like to change anything about your career, maybe the films or shows that didn't work?
Given a choice, I would not take any other route because I have learnt a lot along the way. I wouldn't call any of my films a mistake, but I do feel that I should have been more careful about the people I worked with and not let my emotions come in the way. I wish I had done a bit of research on the producers behind certain projects. But everything, including failures, helps you grow and learn something new about the industry. With all honesty, I don't regret what I have done in my career as every decision has been mine.

Why have TV actors, barring a few, failed to make it big in Bollywood?
Why don't we ask film actors who work on television the same question? It's a media perception that TV is smaller than films and television actors are made to believe that it's a smaller medium. Bollywood biggies have also failed on television (fiction shows), but nobody seems to have an issue with that. A film actor probably entertains you for five days, but a TV artiste entertains the audience throughout the year and yet is made to feel smaller. That's so ironical. If an actor is genuinely treating all the mediums equally and is committed to his craft, he will be accepted by viewers irrespective of the medium he is on. I treat TV with immense respect. My battle has been to change the mindset that television is a smaller medium. That day is not far off when a TV actor will judge a reality show.

Do you think your previous film didn't work because you were also seen on television?
Samrat & Co. didn't work because it was badly released by the producers. Even hoardings weren't installed outside cinema halls. It didn't fail because I was also seen on TV. I was doing Sach Ka Saamna (SAS) during Shaitan and both worked.

What about your last show, Reporters, which didn't generate high ratings?
It started on a good note and enjoyed its share of viewership, especially abroad and in the digital space. The storyline underwent a change and digressed towards the end, but I was contractually bound to finish the series. However, the effort towards the show was genuine and our approach didn't change till the end.

During Kahiin Toh Hoga, you were also touted as the next Rajesh Khanna...
I won't play according to that perception built around me. I don't want to be a victim of it and get swayed by it. I still get attention. Probably not the kind I got during Kahiin Toh Hoga, a show which I left consciously. I didn't repeat my role of Sujal because I didn't want to be in my comfort zone or bask in my past glory. After Aamir, I realised that I wanted to win over the same set of fans with the kind of work I do and not with the character they relate to. People connect with me with as an actor now. Had I been addicted to that kind of fame, I would not have picked up unconventional projects.