Rao: I like to play varied movie roles
HAVING featured in some path-breaking yet entertaining films such as Kai Po Che!, Shahid, Queen, Aligarh, Newton and Bareilly Ki Barfi, actor Rajkummar Rao, who has carved a niche for himself in just eight years, believes an actor’s output has a lot to do with the type of film and its director.
Rajkummar, pictured, has often been compared to Bollywood veterans, including Dilip Kumar and megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
Asked how he felt about being compared to them, Rajkummar said: “It’s a huge honour. I feel overwhelmed and there is a lot of gratitude because I am an outsider; there was no one waiting for me here.
“I think God has been kind and I feel lucky that I got a chance to work with some incredible film-makers because you are as good as your films and directors.”
Sporting an all-white kurta and pyjama paired with running shoes, Rajkummar was at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018, where he walked the ramp as the showstopper for designer Rajesh Pratap Singh’s collection, Welcome to the Jungle.
He was accompanied by actress Patralekha, who is his lady love.
Rajkummar’s filmography has seen him work in movies with disparate themes, for example: the anthology Love Sex Our Dhokha, the horror film Ragini MMS 2, the buddy drama Kai Po Che!, the biographical drama Aligarh, the survival movie Trapped and the commercial entertainers Bareilly Ki Barfi and Fanney Khan.
The 33-year-old said he always made sure not to repeat himself.
“I try to be different with all my characters and even if they are not different, I try to bring in something different with all of them.
“For Newton, I changed my look. I made my hair curly and I kept doing that blinking thing for Bose and now Stree is coming and that is different too.
“That’s the fun part for me as an actor – when you can offer something new to your audience.
“It’s very exciting for me,” he said.
Talking about how all his films have a touch of realism, Rajkummar said: “I love watching realistic cinema …I try to be honest to my character.”
The actor is happy that Indian cinema is in a good space now.
“I am so glad that our characters are becoming so real and are relatable. Our audience has definitely evolved…
“There is so much access to international cinema now, so they (audiences) expect the same quality and I am glad that we have these phenomenal film-makers who are pushing the boundaries and writing such amazing characters for us.”