Birthdays make me awkward: Rajkummar

Birthdays don’t excite me much... I usually stay at home, spend time with my family. There’s some cakecutting and then we go out for dinner. RAJKUMMAR RAO ACTOR

There are people who eagerly look forward to birthdays, and then there is Rajkummar Rao.

The actor, who turns 34 today, says he does not enjoy too much birthday attention, and prefers spending time with his loved ones instead, but this year is a little different.

“Birthdays don’t excite me much. However, this year, I am excited and a little nervous because my film Stree is releasing on the same day. In a way, this is my first commercial solo lead, so I am looking forward to the reactions.

The fact that the film is releasing on my birthday makes the experience special.”

The Trapped (2016) actor may not plan much for his birthdays much, but the Stree crew has. “I usually spend time with my family. There’s some cake-cutting and then we go out for dinner. This time, the Stree team is planning a party to celebrate both the release and my special day,” says the actor, who has a bunch of films lined up for this year, including Love Sonia, Mental Hai Kya, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, and 5 Weddings.

Does he have any fond birthday memories from his childhood? “I have grown up in a joint family in Gurgaon, and I have two siblings and two cousins, but my birthdays were always celebrated, maybe because I am the youngest of all. I remember how friends and family used to come over and we’d have so much fun.”

Will he have siblings Amit and Monika coming down to Mumbai to be with him on his birthday? “No, they won’t be able to… You know birthdays make me awkward. They bring along a lot of attention and that’s exactly what I want to avoid,” replies Rajkummar.

PHOTO: RAAJESSH KASHYAP/HT