Nothing short of lead roles for him

He knows his feet are firmly on the ground. Model-turned-actor Rajniesh Duggall says that is why he is justifiably confident in aiming high. “I wouldn’t settle in for anything less than the lead role in films,” says the actor, whose one-and-a half year old stint in Bollywood has seen him go places.

Thanks to his good looks, Rajniesh was offered a lot of loverboy roles but what caught his attention was 1920, a film that was shot around a haunted house. “I didn’t want to begin my career with a chocolate boy image. I wanted to act in something serious and substantial,” he told Metrolife.

Rajniesh has signed up for Weekend where he plays one of the lead roles. “It’s shot in the jungle and I don’t think there’s any other movie that has been made on this scale. It’s a thriller and is sure to keep you at the edge of the seat,” he explains.

In Dropout he essays the role of an engineering student. “Something suddenly hits the young man and his life changes completely. He now has to cope with a new problem because of which he undergoes a personality change as well,” says Rajniesh who avers that it was quite a challenge because the character only gets worse.
In Phhir he dons the role of a doctor, one Kabir Malhotra, who believes in karma. The past haunts him and the present is too complicated for him to handle. “The doctor is torn between his girlfriend and his wife. Emotional stress is at its peak and the doctor blames it on karma,” Rajniesh says and adds, “it’s a contemporary theme but set around a traditional belief system.”

Rajniesh says that he has done well despite entering the industry without a godfather or a mentor. “Think big, dream even bigger and you’ll go places,” he says.
Weekend will be remade in Tamil and Telegu, “with this, the market opens up a bit more for me,” he says.

Proud father

Rajniesh Duggall and wife Pallavee also have another reason to be thrilled, for the couple have just had a baby girl.
Rajniesh took time off his busy schedule to be with his wife when the baby arrived. All is well and Rajniesh will soon be seen on screen in Vikram Bhatt's Phirr.