Rajeev Khandelwal is an Indian actor and television presenter, primarily associated with Hindi-language television, films, and digital streaming productions. He gained nationwide recognition through his lead role in the soap opera Kahiin To Hoga in the early 2000s and later transitioned to Hindi cinema and web series, building a reputation for performance-driven roles.
| Full name | Rajeev Khandelwal |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 |
| Birthplace | Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Actor, television host |
| Active since | Early 2000s |
| Notable television | Kahiin To Hoga, Sacch Ka Saamna (host), Reporters |
| Notable films | Aamir (2008), Shaitan (2011), Table No. 21 (2013), Fever (2016) |
| Spouse | Manjari Phadnis (married 2017) |
Rajeev Khandelwal was born and raised in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He completed his schooling in Jaipur before moving to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. His early career involved minor roles on Indian television in the late 1990s and early 2000s, where he gradually developed a profile as a leading man.
Khandelwal's breakthrough came with the Star Plus soap opera Kahiin To Hoga, produced by Balaji Telefilms, in which he played Sujal Garewal opposite Aamna Sharif. The show, which began airing in 2003, became one of the most-watched Hindi television serials of its time and made him a household name. He also appeared in earlier serials such as Aanchal and Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqeeqat.
He hosted the Indian version of the reality talk show Sacch Ka Saamna (the Indian adaptation of The Moment of Truth) on Star Plus in 2009. In 2015 he played a journalist in the Sony television drama Reporters.
Khandelwal made his Hindi film debut as the lead in Aamir (2008), directed by Rajkumar Gupta and produced by UTV Spotboy. The film, a thriller set in Mumbai, received critical acclaim and brought him recognition as a serious screen actor. He followed this with roles in Peter Gaya Kaam Se (2010) and Shaitan (2011), directed by Bejoy Nambiar.
In 2013 he played the lead in Table No. 21, directed by Aditya Datt. He later appeared in Samrat & Co. (2014) directed by Kaushik Ghatak, and Fever (2016).
With the growth of OTT platforms in India, Khandelwal moved to streaming work. He starred in Marzi (2020) on Voot, an adaptation of the British series Liar, and in Naxalbari (2020) on ZEE5. He has continued to take on lead roles in web-format series.
Rajeev Khandelwal married actress Manjari Phadnis in 2017. He has generally maintained a low public profile compared with peers from television.
Khandelwal is often cited as one of the early Indian television actors to make a successful transition to Hindi cinema with critically appreciated work, at a time when such crossovers were uncommon. His performance in Aamir is regarded as a notable example of an Indian television lead headlining a small-budget, content-driven film. His later move to OTT productions reflects the broader shift of established television actors towards streaming platforms in India.