Actor Rajkummar Rao completed a decade in Bollywood. Since his initial brush with fame after Dibakar Banerjee’s Love, Sex Aur Dhokha in 2010, the 36-year-old from Haryana has not looked back, delivering many knockout performances—Shahid (2013), Aligarh (2015), Newton (2017) and Stree (2018). Ahead of the release of Chhalaang on Amazon Prime Video—another collaboration with director Hansal Mehta—Rao speaks to Giridhar Jha about his success in this time of content-rich Hindi cinema. Excerpts:
You are playing a physical training teacher in Chhallang.
I grew up in Haryana and have seen people like him. I had references. I took some from that and some from my imagination and a lot of it was in the script. We are trying, through this character, to make people understand the importance of sports. Studies are important, as are sports.
It appears to be a success story of an underdog, just like yours.
I think people will be able to judge that better. But yes, having come from a small town like Gurgaon with a dream to become an actor, that itself, I don’t know if you would call me an underdog, was not an easy task. But to be here today and talking about my film releasing on Diwali, in a way, I think, yes, it is like that.
Chhallang appears to be different from anything you have done with Hansal Mehta…
Absolutely. We made a lot of dramas, biopics, movies on social issues, but this is a different trajectory for us as well. It is a fun, light-hearted comedy set in a small Haryana town.
Most of your half-a-dozen movies with Mehta have been intense?
We share a comfortable rapport and we understand each other really well. We do not need too many words to communicate while filming, which is a great sign that we have immense trust in each other.
Bose: Dead/Alive; Bareilly Ki Barfi; Shahid; Stree.
From Shahid to Aligarh, you played some of your special roles in his films…
All my characters are special. But with him, there are characters which, when people will talk about our filmography 50 years later, will definitely be remembered. Be it Shahid, Aligarh or City Lights (2014), Bose: Dead/Alive (2017) or Omerta (2018). These characters have given me my identity.
You completed a decade in the industry…a big chhalaang (leap), isn’t it?
I am taking small, small chhallangs in my career. I think my big chhalaang was my decision to be an actor in Hindi cinema.
There are many rank outsiders, but doing amazing work. I think if you know your job and do it well and if people want to see you, nothing can stop you. There are so many opportunities out there. There is a place for everyone.
What struggle did you have before Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010)?
I struggled a lot after I came here (Mumbai) from the Film and Television Institute of India in 2008. For the next two years, I was going out every day, trying to meet directors and casting directors, showing them my work to convince them to call me for an audition. There was a constant struggle for two years. Those were hard days with no money, and little food. But I never had a Plan B. I had decided this is what I had come here for, no matter how much time it was going to take.
Content-wise, the last decade has been a golden period for Hindi cinema.
Certainly. A lot of senior actors feel the same that we came at the right time when there were so many film-makers from the new generation, writing characters that are rooted, raw and realistic. I definitely came at the right time. Whether a lead role or not, I have loved playing the characters.
Good, small-budget movies have done business of more than Rs 100 crore.
The audience has definitely evolved. They have access to world cinema on their mobile phones and they’re watching great content. They expected the same content from our industry as well. And when that came, the shift happened. That is why Stree or Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) or Badhaai Ho (2018) did such fabulous business.
Will Bollywood’s haloed star system lose its sheen?
The star system will coexist. I don’t see it going anywhere, but I feel our stories should be the stars. I feel people should invest in stories.
Are big banners important for you, or, is it strictly content?
It is content, any day. There is nothing bigger than the script and story for me.
Have OTT players like Amazon Prime and Netflix proved a game-changer for actors like you?
OTT is a strong platform and has emerged as a parallel industry. The kind of content it is creating is simply amazing. Besides, it is generating employment.
