Written by: Dipti Nagpaul D'souza
3 min readDec 23, 2011 03:44 AM IST
He has made a fairly successful foray into films with Aamir and Shaitan but Rajeev Khandelwal refuses to play by the rules and continues to dabble with television. Last week,the 36-year-old got back on the small screen to host the second season of the controversial reality show,Sacch Ka Saamna,on the just-launched channel,Life OK. The actor talks about how the show has evolved and why it shouldn’t be considered voyeuristic.
Sacch Ka Saamna (SKS) was aired on Star Plus but the second edition is back on Life OK — the new channel by Star Network. Why the switch?
The show became a brand in its first season and is a great way to bring viewers to Life OK,which has gone on air with entirely fresh programming,Sacch Ka Saamna being the only exception. My understanding is also that the show is also in tandem with the concept of Life OK — all shows emphasise on the importance of ethics,morals and optimism.
The show now has a tagline: Bhrashtachar Ke Khilaaf. Does this imply a change in contestants’ profile and questions?
No. However,the channel has chosen to underline the burning issue of corruption in this season. SKS has always been about truth and fairness,not necessarily political,but also pertaining to corruption in relationships and approach to life. We did ask questions such as “Have you ever paid a bribe to further your business?” and “Have you ever travelled on a fake visa?”,apart from those about his personal life.
Has the format evolved in order to generate more interest among viewers?
There are a few changes of merely ornamental value. Last year,the format allowed the contestant three opportunities to change their answers. Now,they are allowed only one. A new concept that has been introduced lets the contestants opt for ‘Sach Ki Shapath’,a vow to lead an honest life,while they are leaving the show. This time,we will also invite people from all over the country to confess over a phone call,to be telecast along with their visual.
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The nature of the show had outraged many in the first season. It was termed vouyeristic on the pretense of supporting truth.
One cannot run down the format just because the truth is not always beautiful. We should applaud the courage of those who come and confess.
Soundtrack failed at the box-office but your performance in Shaitan this year was applauded. Now,you are back on television?
I am reading scripts but I have no long-term goals except that I should not regret my work when I look back. I am often told that I should get myself an aggressive publicist to bolster my image and not do TV any more,but I’d like to keep my mind open.
