I met Rajeev Khandelwal on the day of the trailer launch of his new web series in Mumbai. The handsome actor, who remains a heartthrob more than two decades after he entered into acting, essays the part of a superstar in Showtime, the Disney+Hotstar series from Karan Johar's Dharmatic. The series, which boasts a strong ensemble cast comprising Emraan Hashmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Mouni Roy, streams on the platform from March 8. A t2 chat with Rajeev.

It is so good to see you back where you belong. What have you been up to?

It has not been that long. I had Bloody Daddy (co-starring Shahid Kapoor) last year. But I know what you mean (smiles).

I travel, I do gardening, I do a lot of things, bas zyada kaam nahin karta hoon! (Laughs) I do things that many people may find boring. I live in Goa, as you know. A cashew tree sprouting in my garden is enough to keep me excited for days. When a guest comes home, I keep running around, serving tea, serving coffee. I have people to help at home, but I love doing these things.

It is such a different way of life, isn't it?

To each his own. This kind of life works for me. Acting is just part of my life. Bollywood is my workplace, it is not my life, and neither is it my entire world. Not too many people know me very closely. But those who do know that I do not make any effort to look a certain way or conduct myself in a certain manner. I cannot be any other way. I am often asked how I manage to remain detached. It is very easy. It is just another job. It just depends on how you deal with it.

Har aadmi ka ek make hota hain and this is my make. You take me anywhere. It will not change. If it has not changed in the last 19-20 years, it definitely will not change now.

So what was it like playing this superstar on Showtime, a person who is right in the middle of Bollywood, and completely different from who you are? Was it fun?

It was a lot of fun. In recent times, I haven't enjoyed being on a set as much as I did here. The best part was that I was asked to play a character jiska mujhe koi idea nahin tha. The kind of characters that I pick almost always have a backstory, but this guy (Armaan) doesn't. Armaan is an amalgamation of a lot of stories that we hear about the superstars. Not all of them are stories, some are also true (laughs).

I could connect with the part of him who is an actor, someone who is in the limelight. I know how to deal with that and how to behave in a certain manner. When you are in the limelight, when you get attention, and when people are looking at you, you behave in a certain manner sometimes, which may be misinterpreted by others. I could understand that part too.

The bits I could not wrap my head around were when I was given some crazy examples of how some film people work. Like someone, without naming names, doesn't allow cars whose plates add up to a certain number, to even be in the vicinity of his office!

Armaan is a superstar whose films have now started flopping. He is going through a huge amount of pressure because everyone is talking about his failures. We all know what superstars are like in public. But what happens in the evening when he is at home with his wife having a drink? That is an inside story nobody knows. These are some of the things you will get to watch on this series.

What is the definition of stardom for you?

For me, the definition of stardom is very different. As long as people look at me and smile at me and they treat me with love, I am happy. Or it could be what they say to me... things like: 'Rajeev, please stay the way you are.' That is all I want.

These are huge things for me. That tells me I have developed a deep connection with people and managed to survive for so many years despite not being in the spotlight. I don't want to label what I have as stardom. It isn't. It is, simply put, the ability to arouse love and respect from the audience without doing any kind of PR.

What do you think has sustained this popularity for decades?

I have never been able to figure that out. When I say I get recognised and loved by people in public, I am not talking about Gen-Z. They have perhaps never seen my work and will recognise an influencer and not me (smiles).

I am talking about those who are maybe in their 30s and 40s now and first saw me as Sujal (in Kahiin To Hoga, his debut TV show). I don't know what it is that makes them support me but that is how it has always been.

When you came into the industry, what was the struggle and what is your struggle now?

It is the same struggle. For me, it is about getting the kind of work that excites me. And by that, I mean a project that excites me... not a banner or production house or medium.

But you did want to do Showtime because it is a Karan Johar production...

When Dharma (Productions) approaches you, you know that they are capable of doing good stuff. So, of course, one would want to work with them. The banner comes with the guarantee of good content

To give you a bit of a backstory, I first met Karan (Johar) many years ago. It was perhaps 2005 or 2006 and I was the only TV actor on stage with all the leading Bollywood actors of the time at an event. Since I was the only guy from television, I was feeling a little off and awkward because back then, the demarcation between a Bollywood actor and a TV actor was very strong.

Right after appearing on stage, I was sitting backstage smoking a cigarette. I had my feet up on a table and suddenly Karan and SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) walked past. I put my feet down and took my cigarette out because of respect. Suddenly I saw both of them walking towards me and they said: 'Hi Rajeev, I am Karan Johar', 'Hi, I am Shah Rukh Khan.' Karan told me his mother was a big fan of mine because of my work on TV and I was dumbstruck by their humility. And now, after so many years, I am working with him. In all these years, I never thought I should go to Karan or Dharma and ask for work. After almost two decades, it has happened organically and I am happy about that.

On top of that, I got to sink my teeth into such a challenging character. I challenged myself and told myself: 'Let's see what you can do with this one.'