SUCCESS IS ACCIDENTAL: RAJKUMMAR RAO

Actor Rajkummar Rao says he ensures that it never goes to his head; denies rumours of hiking fee

Box-office success, one-ofa-kind roles, and a shot at the Oscars. The year 2017 has given it all to Rajkummar Rao. The film Bareilly ki Barfi drew audiences in droves; the web series, Bose: Dead/Alive cast him as none other than Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose; and his film Newton became India’s official entry to the Oscars 2018. That much we know about him. The question is: what effect has success had on him? The actor says that the positive things happening in his career have made content but not complacent.

“I want to do good films. I want people to know about my work,” says Rajkummar. “Success is accidental, it can change overnight. So I don’t let it go to my head. I am content with everything in my career. But what I am aiming for is doing good work,” he smiles.

There are reports that Rajkummar has hiked his fees after this streak of success. “I haven’t. It’s just speculation. It’s just that I have got a little busy,” laughs the actor, who is currently shooting for Fanney Khan, also starring Aishwarya

What I’m aiming for is doing good work... I want people to know about my work. I want to do good films RAJKUMMAR RAO, ACTOR

Rai Bachchan and Anil Kapoor. In another film, Rajkummar is paired with Shraddha Kapoor.

Talking about his web series on Subhas Chandra Bose, he says, “The subject was the enduring mystery of Netaji’s disappearance in 1945 after a plane crash — the argument over whether he is dead or alive rages even now... I never thought I’d play the role of Bose someday. But when I saw that both Hansal [Mehta] and Ekta [Kapoor, producer] had so much faith in me and imagined me playing Bose, I decided to put in all my effort. I put on weight, shaved my head in half... I had to read a lot, watch videos, documentary, radio speeches... It helped me in getting his [speech] style and tone right.