His voice was familiar to Puneites, when he played the role of Radio Jockey on Radio Mirchi not very long ago. Thereafter, he went on to prove himself as an actor in Zee Marathi’s talent search programme ‘Maharashtrache Superstrar’. Though he could not win the crown, being a finalist, he had already won the hearts of millions of viewers.

When Abhijeet Khandekar made up his mind to take up acting as a career, he worked hard in that direction. It did not take much time for him to find his entry into Balaji Telefilm’s serial ‘Majhiya Priyala Preet Kalena’. Today, he is well set in that lead role of Abhijeet.

Marathi Movie World spoke to Abhijeet, the latest TV Luminary

Excerpts form an interview:

Q: How much do you believe in destiny ?
A: I don’t completely believe in destiny; but, only to a certain extent. If we have to achieve
something in this life and know what it is, we have to move in that direction. But, if we blindly believe in destiny and do nothing, it does not work. That’s what I feel. We should put in sincere efforts.

Q: Tell us something about your family and how much of support you received from them ?
A: My parents support me a lot. My father is a Branch Manager with Bank of Maharashtra and mother a housewife. They had spotted my acting talent during my childhood. My father, who was associated with Dramas and acted in plays, always felt that I should do a career in this field. But, since I was passionate about anchoring, I began my career first as RJ. Those four years, I was in Pune. My sister who is married also lived there with her husband and small child. Presently, she is out of India, but being based in Pune, her family was a great support to me. Presently, I live in Mumbai with my friends and visit my parents once in a month.

Q: Do you feel like doing something beyond television ?
A: Now that I have landed in this field, Sky is the limit for me. Presently, I am on contract with Balaji; but, I have been receiving some offers for Dramas, ads, anchoring and films. At present I spend my 12 hours a day for this serial. So, when I will become free, I will certainly think about other mediums.

Q: What you have to say about your debut ?
A: I am grateful to Zee Marathi and Balaji Telefilms for selecting me in their Prime time serial ‘Majhiya Priyala….’ Perhaps, they were confident about selection of their artistes. No wonder the serial popularized soon.

Q: Do you feel that you need special preparations to enter films ?
A: In Marathi films, it is very necessary to be a good actor rather than being a chocolate hero like Bollywood. Therefore, I don’t think, I need special preparation. But, yes, there is one thing very necessary and that is staying fit. Today our Marathi film actors like Makarand, Siddharth and Bharat are drawing full house at theatres. For me, all that I need to do is to bring in some variation in my acting.

Q: Are you comfortable with comedy shows ?
A: It is very difficult to make the audience laugh. Some people possess this inbuilt attitude. In my case, it is not so. I had attempted it once during the reality show ‘Maharashtrache Superstar’. But, I still need to improvise on this aspect.