‘Earlier, I had limited choices’
Gajraj Rao hasn’t had any free time post Badhaai Ho (2018) as he has been inundated with work. He will be next seen in Made In China , where he has a cameo role, which the 49-year-old took up as he wanted to work with producer Dinesh Vijan and debutant director Mikhil Musale. “The film’s story was quirky and he (Mikhil) had told me that he is writing an interesting part especially for me.”
Post Badhaai Ho, Rao was in for a pleasant surprise with the way his life changed. “I never imagined that one day people would be approaching me for prominent roles that were written keeping me in mind. Earlier too, I would be offered interesting roles in big films but they were not written especially for me. Today, when directors and writers come to me, they mention that they set their characters for me. I am grateful to my Badhaai Ho director, Amit Sharma, and to all the young directors I have worked with. Earlier, I had limited choices and had to work with basic roles but now, in the last four months, I have read 30 to 40 scripts for web shows and movies. It is a humbling experience,” says Gajraj. The actor will be reuniting with Neena Gupta, his Badhaai Ho co-star, in their next film, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, that also stars Ayushmann Khurrana.
“It is fun shooting with all of them once again. I believe that the experience of working on a film should be enjoyable as the fate of the film is not in one’s hands,” the actor shares. While he has been appreciated in new age films, Rao admits that he enjoys watching commercial films too.
“Both kinds of cinema can co-exist. Super commercial ones such as Singham (2011) should exist with films like Badhaai Ho and Andhadhun (2018). The audiences love variety and they want to see different kinds of films. I love Rohit Shetty films — bahut mazedaar hoti hai aisi films,” says the actor adding, “A few years ago, actors like me had limited options but today, with OTT platforms and the young bunch of directors and writers coming up, there is a lot of noticeable variation in the characters. That’s why actors like me, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjai Mishra, and Soni Razdan are getting good roles,” he adds.