Rajeev Khandelwal Said “Test Me First, Sir” to Bhansali

There are Bollywood stories about films that never got made — and then there’s this one. In an exclusive interview, Rajeev Khandelwal has finally opened up about Chenab Gandhi, the ambitious Sanjay Leela Bhansali project he was signed for on a two-film deal, that simply never went on floors. The way he tells it, the script alone was enough to shake him to his core.

Rajeev Khandelwal’s Chenab Gandhi: The Full Story

“Test Me First” — Rajeev’s Rare Demand to a Legend

What makes this revelation genuinely compelling is the dynamic Rajeev describes with Bhansali. Rather than simply accepting the offer from one of Bollywood’s most celebrated auteurs, he made a very specific demand — conduct a screen test and look test first, and only then would he read the script. If the director confirmed he wanted him, Rajeev reserved the right to still say no after reading it.

According to Wikipedia’s entry on Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the director is known for his absolute creative control and grandiose vision — making Rajeev’s insistence on mutual approval all the more striking. And Bhansali, to his credit, respected it entirely. They met over 15 to 20 days before Rajeev finally sat down with the script.

The result? He was floored. He said yes — not because of the scale of the project or who was directing it, but purely because of the writing.

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The Script Was Extraordinary — So Why Did It Die?

That’s the part Rajeev didn’t fully answer. He confirmed it was a commercial film, that the script was among the finest he’d ever encountered, and that the two-film deal simply never translated into production. No blame assigned, no dramatic falling-out — just one of those Bollywood ghost stories where an extraordinary project quietly fades.

He’s currently on screens with the MX Player series Amar Viswas, but for fans of both actors, the Chenab Gandhi that-could-have-been will linger.

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