Rajesh Khattar basks in newfound glory

By: Upala KBR, Mid-Day
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Actor Rajesh Khattar was last seen as Singhania in Farhan Akhtar's Don. His next assignment was dubbing for the Hindi version of Casino Royale as Le Chiffre's character (played by Mads Mikklesen) - the villain in the latest James Bond flick. He is also busy planning marriage with his long-time girlfriend, actress-producer, Vandana Sajnani next year. Khattar was previously married to actress Neelima Azim (Shahid Kapoor's mother).

When quizzed about his marriage plans to Vandana, Khattar says, "Que sera sera, hopefully by next year. We are very sure about each other. This is my second attempt at marriage so I was taking my time in making this decision. I have been considering marriage to Vandana for some time. Our families also approve."

Vandana's concern
Vandana, too, echoes his thoughts, "We should get married by next year."
Rajesh proudly adds, "She wants me to act in her play, Perfect Wedding. Vandana's been travelling all over for it."

Vandana giggles, "I want him to act in my play and use the casting couch for real! Ha ha! But on a serious note, I want him to concentrate on his acting assignments. He is a very good actor and has got a lot of appreciation for his role in Don. Though we did feel bad when his role was edited quite a bit."

Bond with the best
Talking about dubbing for Mads Mikklesen in Casino Royale's Hindi version, he says, "Le Chiffre is very different from other Bond villains. He is suave, cold and ruthless - something that I had to bring out in my voice. Dubbing from English to Hindi is very difficult as one has to follow the nuances perfectly."

How was he selected to dub for the Bond flick? "All the voices are sent to Los Angeles for a voice approval test and the one best suited for the character is approved. I have dubbed for Warner Bros, Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Sony. For War Of The Worlds, Steven Spielberg selected the voices from India himself.

Till now, I must have dubbed for over 80 films, which includes characters of Tom Hanks in Da Vinci Code and Johny Depp in The Pirates of the Caribbean," enthuses the actor.

Flashbacking into his entry into the dubbing business, he reveals, "I was dubbing for one of my own Hindi films when the owner of the Sound and Vision Studio, Leela Ghosh, heard my voice. I owe her a lot for introducing me to professional dubbing."

Khattar also cherishes his part in 'Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'. "I got a lot of response for my character Parbatlal in 'Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'. I want to do plenty of films and serials as I want to get noticed more. Earlier, I was writing for serials like Koi Apna Sa and some parts of Jassi. With Don, I am getting good offers. But now I am going to take a break from writing and concentrate purely on my acting," says the actor.

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