Rajkummar Rao on shifting gears from indie cinema to hitmakers and aiming for the Akshay Kumar zone of four films in a year
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 3, 2019)

Art does not come in isolation, it comes with a responsibility…" starts Rajkummar Rao, when we meet him on a chilly Saturday. Dressed casually in a sweatsuit and a cap, he wears a relaxed look on his face. His last film Stree (2018) was unanimously one of the best films of the year and is expected to make it to the award galas this season. I ask him how is he so relaxed in times when competition is at its peak and everyone is waiting to outdo the other. He smiles and says, "That's my satiated look…" As he joins Anurag Basu on the film set in Bhopal, Rao talks to us about the importance of the social message in cinema, his 'Akshay Kumar year' with four releases in 2019 and the warped idea of competition in showbiz.

Is industry competition a myth given that opportunities are abundant?
Acting can't be competitive. It's not like we are working towards a promotion at the workplace. It's neither about outdoing designations. Movies are not a sport. I cannot go up to Ayushmann [Khurrana] and say, "Bro, I can cry better than you!" It's not wrestling that has one definite goal - to win. A good performance by anyone gives me a high. I can compete with someone's hard work, but not their work. The industry is not so petty anymore where one is pulling the other down. There is love, which is why great work is coming to the fore now.

While Stree had an interesting hook to the horror comedy genre, is it possible for an actor to be morally responsible while picking up scripts?
An artiste is someone who has been bestowed with the responsibility of changing thoughts and shaping ideas. It is a reality that people get carried away with the things they see on screen. I do my best not to portray something on screen which could be termed 'bad influence'. There are times when I have changed lines and scenes on set because I felt it may give out an incorrect message. As artistes, we have the responsibility to shape the ideology of an entire generation that will grow up watching us. I am a small town boy, I was copying Shah Rukh Khan when I was growing up. But having said that, should it limit creativity? I don't think so.

So, what do you do if a challenging character comes to you but the repercussions could be problematic?
This dilemma was on my mind during Omertà (2018). It was draining to be in a terrorist's mind but in such scenarios, the voice of the film matters; does it justify the actions of a terrorist? No, it doesn't. It merely states it as a matter of fact. It is a film from a terrorist's perspective, but I did it because it is exploratory to be in this space and show the world how they think or function. I wanted to play a dark character, whose ideology I cannot relate to. I trusted Hansal sir to make a film without jeopardising the message we send out.

Omertà never comes off as a wholesome film. How much of it was chopped out?
It was considerably cut. It wasn't my place to take a call on that.

In hindsight, was the Daniel Pearl killing in Omertà your toughest scene on screen last year?
(Laughs) It was an improvised scene. In the original script, it stops at him discovering the body. The rest of the part where I drag him out and behead him was done at the moment. Hansal sir has this problem where he doesn't say cut. So, the camera kept rolling and I was living in Omar Saeed's dangerous mind pace. A few months later, when I watched it again, I was shaken at how much hatred a man can harbour.

You were the poster boy of indie cinema and then came 2018, and you were giving Rs 100 crore hits.
And Stree was the most profitable film last year. The audience reaction has shifted. We always made such films, but it's only now that the appreciation for them has increased. It's like the concept of demand and supply. The audience now demands better content, and we are following through. Since Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010), my first film, I always believed in the power of the story. People would advice me, don't do this, it won't sell. But who knows what sells really? There is no fixed formula that sustains better than good content. I was willing to make my own mistakes and follow my gut feeling. Of course, I have made mistakes, where I took up a project for the wrong reasons, as a favour for a friend. And few days into it, I knew this is something I shouldn't have taken up. It is tougher to say no to a film.

So, you were never tempted to take a project for the money?
I never worked for money. I do endorsements for that. Even with brands, I am particular about the scripts. I have been offered obnoxious amounts of money for events and shows, but if my heart isn't in it, I won't do it. People say this is my time to cash in but that's not why I became an actor.

Is this the year that you can finally have an 'Akshay Kumar' moment?
I don't see why not. I am only honoured to be as hardworking as the legends of this industry. That's the only thing that will sustain - hard work.

So, what's in your kitty for 2019?
There is Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, followed by Mental Hai Kya, which is an edgy, funny thriller. Kangana [Ranaut] and I had a great time at the shoot. I love working with her. She is talented and it's thrilling to work with actors, who are able to evoke better performances in you. Our characters have been fleshed out wonderfully and we have done our best. I also have Imali with Kangana, which is a heart-wrenching story. After that, I have Made In China. It is a hilarious script. I play a Gujarati man, who aspires to be an entrepreneur. I did play a bit of this guy in Kai Po Che (2013) but this is hardcore. Then I start shooting for Anurag Basu's next [yet-untitled] in Bhopal. The greed of working with a visionary like him is what lured me. With Basu da, I am now discovering my own capabilities, which I have never done before. I have often seen people do several films simultaneously, but I can't do that. My process is to flush out one character, prep for the next and stay in that universe. Even now, I am nervous for Basu da's next. I had cold feet two nights before I started. The night before the shoot I don't sleep. Acting isn't a profession. It's my way of life. You take this away from me and I will be a vegetable at home. The film set is my life; the energy and vibe of the set is my fuel.

Bringing normalcy in same-sex love stories
Rao's latest film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga talks about love between the same sex. Rao says that the only other Indian mainstream movie on homosexuals that impressed him was Kapoor & Sons. "The beauty of the film was that it spoke about same-sex love in a normal way. Post 377, our perception has widened. I had done Aligarh in past, so, I always saw it as normal. Films have an impact in normalising things and I hope parents, who can't stomach that their child is homosexual, are able to see the larger picture," he says.