Rajkummar Rao is like a chameleon – give him any role or character, and this performer par excellence transforms into that persona almost instantly. Arguably, one of the best actors amongst the NewAge stars, he has raised the bar with each performance of his. And, how! In a throwback interview, he talks to Sumita Chakraborty about his struggle, making it big and more.
You are an industry outsider who stormed Bollywood with path-breaking roles and fabulous performances. How would you describe your journey?
My journey has been long, challenging yet extremely interesting. Honestly, I feel very blessed that I’m a part of this industry. Perhaps it’s because of my family’s love and blessings, and of course, the hard work that I’ve put in – be it in Delhi, film school days or in Mumbai… whatever it is, it has really worked for me. Sometimes I wonder, why me? … Because we all know that there are so many people who come to the city with the same dream, but some go back with broken dreams and broken hearts. So that way I feel very blessed that I have been accepted by the industry despite being an industry outsider. In that way, my journey has been so wonderful. It’s been a learning curve, actually. I got a chance to work with some really amazing people and some marvellous filmmakers. I’ve learnt such a lot and definitely, I feel like I have grown as an actor. Since my first film to now, because of the kind of people that I’ve worked with, I’ve picked up so much especially from my team and my film friends. It has enriched me as an actor. Of course, I still have a long, long way to go but yes, the journey uptil now has been interesting. There must have been a lot of challenges that you’ve faced. Could you talk about them? There were huge challenges then and of course, there still are challenges and there are different ways in which I faced those challenges. When I was starting out, I really struggled. I had to look for work for almost one-and-a half to two years. There were numerous rejections, and there were times when I felt down and out, but during these trying times, it was very necessary to keep myself motivated, to keep myself inspired and to keep going. Failure can make you slip down yet you have to pick up yourself. In life, of course, there will be rejections, there will be negativity around you. But you can’t let these things hamper your dedication or your love for what you are doing. So during my struggle, I made sure that I stayed motivated. I would try and learn new things. I would look at other actors, and I would try and learn from them, learn more about the art. I would get myself enrolled into some good acting workshops, hone my skills. And more importantly, I made sure that the challenges weren’t getting the better of me. Despite the rejections, I would keep going for auditions etc. In life, it is necessary not to let anything pull you down.
You know Rajkummar, when you say ‘struggle’, I’ve spoken to Ranveer Singh about his journey and he had told me about a lot of casting couch incidences that happen even for men. Have you by any chance faced the casting couch?
No, that way I feel I am very lucky as I never had to face any kind of casting couch. I’m sure it happens with boys as well but in my case, I’ve never experienced it. It has been a slow and steady ride for you, at any point did you ever think of giving it up? No, because I never had a plan B. Acting was the only thing I fell in love with and the only thing I dreamt of. My dream was to be a film actor and there was no chance that I could give it up. I knew nothing but acting. So I kept on… and here, I am!
At any point did you feel that you wouldn’t be accepted in any particular kind of a role?
I can’t overthink whether I’ll be accepted or not! I can’t work like that honestly. As an actor I want to push my limits. I want to explore all kinds of genres, I want to do different characters. I don’t want to restrict myself thinking that I should not be doing this or probably be doing only a particular role and then would be accepted. You have to take your chances, keep pushing your boundaries and that’s exactly what I do.
