Rajeev Khandelwal recalls being 'Ghosted' by Sanjay Leela Bhansali for nearly a year: “I was being kept in the dark"

Rajeev Khandelwal recently opened up about his experience on being signed by acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for a movie that ultimately never materialized. Khandelwal revealed that he was kept waiting for nearly a year, bound by contract and unable to take on other projects, only to have the film unceremoniously canceled with little explanation.
The project in question was titled ‘Chenab Gandhi’ and was to be directed by Vibhu Puri.It boasted an impressive cast, with Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan also attached to star alongside Khandelwal. The actor shared that he even went so far as to shoot a poster for the film with Vidya Balan, so confident were they that it would move forward.
Khandelwal, who made his big screen debut with the 2008 hit ‘Aamir’, was thrilled when Bhansali came calling. The director, known for launching and elevating the careers of many actors, had taken notice of Khandelwal's talents.
In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Rajeev revealed "He signed me for a film, called Chenab Gandhi, and kept me around for nine months, almost a year. But the film never took off. Because I was bound by contract, I couldn't do anything else either," Khandelwal recalled.
The actor shared that he had one key condition when signing on - he wanted a script in hand immediately. Puri provided him with a narration that deeply moved Khandelwal. "After Aamir, I wanted to do projects that had a life. If they didn't work out, I moved on," he explained.
As the months dragged on with no visible progress on the film, Khandelwal grew increasingly frustrated. "The only problem I had was that I was being kept in the dark," he admitted. "I moved on. There was no depression. There were no complaints whatsoever. I did feel that time waste ho raha hai mera, ek saal hogaya hai. But then, I was willing to invest that time, but this is a part of life."
When he finally inquired with Puri about the film's status, the director bluntly told him, "Rajeev, move on. It's not happening." Khandelwal said he reached out to Bhansali as well, but never received a response.
He acknowledged that the delay was likely not due to any malicious intent on the director's part.
"It's not like he said that he will keep me around for a year and ruin my career. I'm sure he didn't have a vested interest, it wasn't deliberate. It could've been funding, or any other reason, but he didn't have an answer. I told him, 'This is a crucial time for me…'"
Despite the frustration of having a year of his career put on hold, Khandelwal maintained a philosophical outlook. "I do not attach any emotional importance to anything. I'm a very detached person," he shared. As soon as his contract with Bhansali ended, he moved on to host the popular game show 'Sach Ka Saamna'
Khandelwal has since gone on to appear in numerous successful films, including ‘Shaitan’, ‘Table No. 21’, and most recently the streaming series ‘Bloody Daddy’ and ‘Showtime.’