ABOUT RAJEEV KHANDELWAL

​

Born on 16th October 1975, Rajeev comes from a traditional Marwari family from Jaipur, Rajasthan. His father, Col.C.L.Khandelwal is a retired army officer & his mother Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Khandelwal is a successful home maker. Rajeev has two brothers, Sanjeev Khandelwal & Rahul Khandelwal. His elder brother, Sanjeev Khandelwal is an army officer while his younger brother, Rahul Khandelwal works in banking sector. 

Rajeev did his schooling from Kendriya Vidayala, Jaipur and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad. 

In 2011, Rajeev tied knot with his girlfriend for two years, Manjiri Kamtikar in a very private ceremony at Khimsar Fort, Udaipur, which included only close friend and relatives. He is happily married since then & He owns a three-storied house in Goregaon. 

Struggle & Success 

His passion for acting started in class 9th where he got selected for Nandu Ka Chirag, a show by Punjab Doordarshan. His father didn’t allow him for the show as there was a 90 days outdoor shoot, this inspired him to make his career in acting. Being born in a traditional Marwari family, his parents wanted him to join the army, like his father & brother, but a delayed UPSC form changed it all for him. That was the time he decided to follow his dream and try his luck in acting, as he says, ‘I would rather make an effort in the field that I was interested in and fail, as against sitting at home waiting’. He left his house against the wish of his parents who wanted him to have a stable career. 

For the next three years he struggled for his career, he joined a Delhi based production house as an assistant to the director for making documentary films. It took him 3 years to get his first independent documentary to be telecasted & this was when he contacted his parents for the first time. But his struggle didn’t end here, cheated & left penniless by his partner he decided to move to Mumbai in the year 2002. During one of his trips to Delhi, he auditioned for Balaji Telefilm’s new show ‘Kahiin To Hoga’ & got selected for the role of ‘Sujal Garewal’, the show was delayed by 6 months which made ‘Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqueequat’ his first show. 

A year later on 8th September 2003, ‘Kahiin To Hoga’ was telecasted to Star Plus, this marked his success as never before. ‘Sujal’ became an overnight hit and Rajeev became the heartthrob of country. The show won him immense popularity & numerous awards, making him talk of the town. In 2005 he quit the show, but continued his television career for next 2 years where he did shows like, Deal ya no deal, Time Bomb 9/11, CID, Sun leyna & Left Right Left. 

Rajeev made his Bollywood debut in the year 2008 with Aamir, directed by Rajkumar Gupta. The movie was an instant hit among the audiences as well as the critics who were all in awe of Rajeev.  While reviewing the movie, Rajeev Masand said, “Uninhibited, spontaneous and blessed with unmistakable presence, Khandelwal holds the screen like a seasoned artist. Using his face as a canvas to display emotions, he emerges as the biggest strength of this little film.”

From 2008 to this date Rajeev has given numerous hits like, Shaitaan, Soundtrack, Table number 21 making him one of the finest actors of his time.

​

The Real Rajeev 

A very private person, Rajeev is fond of a very simple lifestyle, where he loves growing his own vegetables and cooking his own meals. He is extremely health conscious, loves eating healthy food and spending his time in gym. Being an army kid, he is very fond of sports, specially racket games, tennis and squash are his favorites. His love for sports has recently made him the sponsor of Rajasthan Roarers, an under 19 cricket team of IJPL, the world’s biggest nationwide cricket talent hunt. 

When not acting, Rajeev loves travelling & road trips. He is very fond of adventure sports and makes it a point to go to Rishikesh, almost every year for river rafting. He is so fond of road trips that he has got a car customized & patented for him. His idea of travelling & vacation includes, to roam around on the streets with backpack, incognito, travel in buses, trains etc., meet people, buy sandwiches from the street corners, make friends from different parts of the world. He wants to explore and experience the beauty and culture of the place he visits. His wife Manjiri is a perfect companion for him in his travel goals.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

This King of hearts has been honored with several awards for his brilliant work. From acting, to anchoring & for his magnetic personality.

Says Rajeev, "I thank all the fans and all the people for being with me, all those who supported me, and all those who haven't supported me I hope I put an earnest performance in the coming time and earn their support"