Rajeev
Khandelwal
has
a
lot
of
preparation
to
do
for
his
next
two
films,
Sourabh
Narang"s
Return
Gift
and
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali"s
Chenab
Gandhi.
While
for
Bhansali"s
film
he
needs
to
get
fluent
in
Urdu
and
familiar
with
the
pre-Partition
era,
the
preparation
for
Narang"s
film
is
even
more
complex
and
elaborate.
Rajeev
can"t
wait
for
his
reality
show
Sach
Ka
Saamna
to
end
so
he
could
embark
on
his
big-screen
preparations.
Interestingly
in
spite
of
the
show"s
popularity
there"s
no
mention
of
a
second
season
for
Rajeev.
“For
now,
this
is
it," he
says
tersely.
For
Return
Gift,
in
which
Rajeev
plays
an
Indian
bureaucrat
on
a
mission
to
Pakistan,
Rajeev
will
have
to
meet
bureaucrats
from
both
sides
of
the
border
to
understand
the
intricacies
of
across-the-border
diplomacy.
“I
can"t
just
go
into
the
part
unprepared.
It"s
a
character
that
has
far-reaching
relevance.
I"ll
be
meeting
eminent
bureaucrats
to
understand
the
workings
of
the
Indian
bureaucracy
and
the
complex
issue
of
Indo-Pak
relations."
For
all
of
this,
Rajeev
needs
time
off.
Sach
Ka
Samna
hardly
gives
him
that
space.
In
fact
it
now
threatens
to
crowd
him
even
more.
Rajeev
Khandelwal
has
a
problem.
And
it"s
got
to
do
with
his
hair.
Before
he
goes
into
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali"s
production
of
Chenab
Gandhi,
Rajeev
has
allotted
dates
to
Sourabh
Narang"s
Return
Gift,
which
requires
him
to
play
an
Indian
civil
servant
on
a
diplomatic
mission.
And
everyone
knows
IAS
officers
are
supposed
to
sport
close-cropped
hair.
But
Sanjay"s
film
requires
Rajeev
to
have
very
long
hair.
Says
Rajeev,
“In
fact
one
of
the
reasons
why
Mr.
Bhansali
selected
me
was
because
of
my
hair.
I
had
grown
it
really
long
and
curly
for
my
role
as
a
Goan
beach
bum
in
Peter
Gaya
Kaam
Se.
Mr.
Bhansali
saw
that
look
and
thought
it
was
what
he
wanted
for
his
assistant
Vibhu
Puri"s
film.
That"s
how
I
was
considered."
Having
bagged
the
coveted
role
Rajeev
was
clearly
told
the
hair
remains.
Says
Rajeev,
“I
was
in
a
dilemma
since
Sourabh"s
film
needed
me
to
keep
my
hair
short.
And
there
was
no
time
to
cut
my
hair
and
grow
it
back.
So
I
was
left
with
no
choice
but
to
ask
Sourabh
to
work
his
way
around
my
hair."
Apparently
Rajeev
will
now
wear
a
cropped
wig
to
look
the
Bureacrat"s
part.
Says
Rajeev,
“All
I"ll
say
is,
I
won"t
look
wrong
for
the
part."
Laughs
Rajeev,
“For
the
privilege
of
working
with
Mr
Bhansali,
I"d
happily
go
bald.
He"s
one
of
the
best
filmmakers
of
our
country.
Although
he
isn"t
directing
Chenab
Gandhi
his
involvement
with
the
project
is
full-on.
I"ll
wrap
my
work
in
Return
Gift
and
move
on
to
Chenab
Gandhi.
The
thought
of
sharing
screen
space
with
Mr.
Amitabh
Bachchan
so
early
in
my
career
gives
me
goosebumps."