Rahul Khanna finds social media ridiculous but Instagram fun – News9 LIVE

2022-07-28T13:11:43+05:30
There are bad days and there are, you-interviewed–Rahul Khanna-but–did-not–see-his–face bad days.
Have you seen that face? Also, have you seen that face? The 50-year-old actor is distractingly good looking. But what possibly counts for his undented allure is how aware he is of this fact and how casual he seems about it. No place encapsulates this laid-back vanity more succinctly than his Instagram account.
Khanna, who goes by the handle “Mr Khanna”, has one of the most aesthetically pleasing feeds on the photo sharing app. Among the 575 posts he has (till now), most include his face, and well, his shirtless body. In the pictures, he is either well suited-up, looking dapper in a bandhgala or sitting on his couch, wearing a crisp white shirt with all the buttons undone. It is like the actor only traverses in extremes and is more attractive for it.
That he rarely gives interviews crystallises his social media as the only conduit to reach him. And Khanna, as indifferent as he may seem to all the attention, reimburses our collective lust with artful teasing pictures. If there ever was an Indian equivalent to Adam Driver, it is him. Both men have shouldered female desires like no one else has.
Khanna recently spoke to News9 about his feelings regarding social media, (dis) comfort with attention, and his recent collaboration with a men’s clothing brand, Chokore. I must admit here that his deep voice came close to make up for the lack of face. Edited excerpts below:
Hi Rahul, how are you and where are you?

I am very well. I am in a secret location. Unfortunately I am not allowed to discuss it (laughs).
Like most women, I stalk you on Instagram. Hope it is not creepy.

No, not at all (laughs).

You are one of the few male celebrities who is carefully under the radar but never slips away from public attention. Your Instagram plays a major role in sustaining this interest regarding you. Do you have a team?

I do not have a team. I do it myself. For me, Instagram seems like a great way to directly connect with people who are interested in me. I wanted it to reflect my own personality as authentically as possible. And I want it to be like a happy place. Also, social media, as a concept, is silly and ridiculous. I don’t know why anyone will take it seriously, especially Instagram. I wanted to be as much fun as possible and silly and irreverent and quirky and fun.
When you say it’s ridiculous, does it mean you don’t take it seriously at all?

I take it as seriously as I want. For instance, I like my feed to look a certain way. And I am very serious about the fact that I don’t want anything negative on it. I take those aspects seriously. But putting up photos with captions and stories is hardly something one should ever take seriously. It’s fun, creative.
A post shared by Rahul Khanna (@mrkhanna)

It is interesting that you called the act creative because I cannot help but share a photo on your feed that made me stop scrolling. In that you were standing, unclothed, before a full length mirror while a smaller mirror was strategically obstructing the reflection. The comments, especially from women, are a riot. Your Instagram is a great place to gauge female desires.
(Laughs) Social media is a very different place for women. They are much more vulnerable there.
How comfortable are you with attention?

I am not that comfortable with attention. Even in real life, I really don’t like attention unless it’s for work or something where it’s necessary. But on a day to day basis, I do not enjoy attention at all. I am always uncomfortable even in situation where attention is drawn to me. Having said, it’s Instagram and you can’t take it seriously. It’s silly. As long as people are having fun, that’s fine.

The vibe of your Instagram is a fine balance between vanity and confidence. Almost teasing but quite not. Is there no deliberation?

In a way, it reflects my life. It’s obviously not a completely accurate day-to-day record of it. But it’s a highlights reel of the things I do. I do spend a lot of time at the beach or the pool. I do spend a lot of time with dogs. I love the outdoors, I like food. All these feature on my Instagram.
It is deliberate only as much as if I find a picture that goes with the vibe of my account, I post it. I just don’t want that to be anything too serious, or that shows I take myself too seriously.
Your Instagram bio reads: “Boutique Bollywood Actor”. What do you mean by that?

I travel a lot, I live part of the year outside the country. And every time I speak to people, they ask what I do. I try and explain to them but it is difficult to say: I am an actor, and yes, I do work in India. But they expect Bollywood actors to be doing five films a year and being all over the place. I am not that person. So I was trying to find a way to put across the point that I am slightly more niche in a way. Everyone was using the term boutique at the time for hotels and for investment firms. And I thought, let me just use it to describe my own profession. Everyone found it amusing and it got the point across.
A post shared by Rahul Khanna (@mrkhanna)

You made your acting debut in 1999 with Deepa Mehta’s Earth and your last appearance was Mehta’s dystopian web show Leila. Across two decades, you have worked continuously but sparingly. Why don’t we see more of you?
That’s just how it unfolded. Even today, I feel that I am learning the ropes of the business. I don’t know how things work mostly from a business point of view. I am too focused on the creative aspect and the performance. Somehow, I don’t think I have the mindset to strategise or plan things. I do wish I did have that. As the years go, the ropes keep changing. It is an ever evolving game.
But then, I am looking at several things at the moment. I am looking at films and series at the OTT platform. Every day, there’s something new that one has to explore. I am interested in doing things but the roles need to resonate with me. It is always a bit of struggle finding those elements and getting them to come together in a project that you want to do.
Recently, Ranveer Singh broke the internet with his nude photoshoot. On Tuesday, the Mumbai police registered an FIR against the actor for obscenity and outraging modesty of women. Did you come across the pictures? And do you think the image of a man being comfortable with his body rattles us?

I can’t speak for anyone else. I thought the pictures were beautiful. And if anyone is offended, don’t look at them.

What made you decide on your recent foray into fashion with Chokore?
They asked me if I would collaborate with them on a capsule collection. It seemed like a great idea. I do have a very definite point of view about how I like things to look and the kind of accessories I use personally. And I wanted the collection to be a reflection of my own accessories collection I have in my wardrobe and that I wear. That is also how I approached it. It is offering the foundation blocks of other modern Indian persons accessories collection. The collection includes things that everyone should have if you’re interested in accessories and building a collection.
A post shared by Rahul Khanna (@mrkhanna)

I need to ask you this and you can not answer if it sounds intrusive. Who do you stalk on Instagram?
(After a long pause) Not anyone particularly. There is not one account that I am obsessively looking at over and over again. But it is a big circus so you are constantly looking at different things and going down different rabbit holes. I mean, I look at a lot of dog accounts, if that accounts.

Oh god, same.

(Laughs) Do you follow the doggest of dog accounts? The BarkHouse is the best dog account!

In your two-decade spanning career, have you noticed any change in the way people perceive you? Has the attention been more virtual?

There is no rule that I have discovered. Every day is different, so is every situation. I am a private person and not really out and about. But then I am really lucky because the people who like me and are interested in me seem to be really nice. Every once in a while you do encounter some weirdos, but generally, it’s a really nice demographic. Every time I meet someone who comes up to me in either an airport or anywhere else, they have always been nice. I am lucky in that way.
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