Madhureeta Mukherjee (BOMBAY TIMES; July 17, 2019)

At a time when the world thought Rajkummar Rao is only an offbeat filmmaker’s delight, he surprised everyone with entertainers like Bareilly Ki Barfi and Stree. While his credibility as an actor is at an all-time high, with every role, he believes in taking himself to zones he hasn’t explored before. Up next is Judgementall Hai Kya, directed by South director Prakash Kovelamudi, and this promises to be one helluva crazy outing. Rajkummar talks about his movie choices — some intense, some quirky — his flaws, strengths and all that makes him the fine actor that he is. Excerpts:

The last few years have seen a sharp upward rise in your career, what would you attribute that to? Is it your choice of films or the movie space that we are in today, which is rapidly evolving?
I think it’s a bit of all of that and to add to it, a lot of blessings from mom and God. There is also a shift that’s happened in the industry with the kind of films that are being appreciated. I would say, the credit largely goes to the current digital wave, as people are watching quality content, whether it is shows or movies. The audience is getting a taste of good content, and they expect a certain quality of content from us, too. As an actor, I am so happy to see this shift happening and I’m glad that I am a part of it.

Yes, today the audience is selective. They lap up something that they like, and at the same time, they are blatant about the kind of stuff they don’t want to see...
That was always the case. It is not that in the past, any and every film worked. I would say that we were making good content even earlier, but now, people are more aware of what is out there because of social media. I think word-of-mouth goes a long way in helping smaller films reach out to the audience. A film like Newton saw that kind of success because of good word-of-mouth. But there is a flip side to it, as it can affect a film negatively, too. If the audience does not like a particular film, they start talking about it on social media and that influences people. What matters is the trailer, which draws attention and eventually, your movie. The first-day opening might be decent, but no amount of marketing will help your film, if the content is not good enough.

Today, the audience associates with your brand of cinema. By that, we mean cinema that has a certain sensibility that they identify you with. Could we say that there is a Rajkummar Rao brand of cinema?
I don’t know if I have a certain set of audience. Honestly, this (acting) is all I can do, and I really don’t know if I can do anything else. I don’t connect the dots or plan my career to build a certain kind of brand value. I don’t ponder over words like brand value or stardom. I love what I do and that is what ultimately matters.

But well, there has been a change in people’s (audience and industry) perception of you. The way the industry perceives and accepts an actor who is bankable is different, right?
Yes, I see more people coming up to me for selfies now (laughs!). Yes, I am a part of bigger films now and that aspect has definitely changed professionally for me. But deep down, I am still the same guy with the same passion for cinema that I had started out with. I still do what I was doing on day one of my career. I don’t think that I should stop doing certain things I like because I am an actor or a celebrity. If I need to get off my car and hop into an auto rickshaw to reach somewhere, I do that. I am the same Raj, and I am who I am. The difference is that today, I have a good car, a good house and I wear fine clothes. But all this is on the periphery, it is all superficial. What matters is who you are as a person and the work that you do. What I am really greedy for is good roles, great stories and unforgettable films. I liked the way the story of Judgementall Hai Kya was written (by Kanika Dhillon), it has the right amount of humour, thrill and whodunnit feel and that’s what attracted me to it. It was something that I had not done before, so I wanted to explore it.

The interesting thing about the characters in Judgementall Hai Kya is that they are flawed, crazy and imperfect. Do you believe that we all have grey shades and we live with it?
We all are grey and flawed. We rarely meet people who are not. My character in the film is grey and flawed, too. I like such characters with shades. This one in particular, the way it was written was lovely. Both the leading characters (Bobby and Keshav) are edgy, and they try to blame each other throughout the story. No one knows what the other is thinking.

Does the dark side of human nature scare you?
Like I said, we all have grey shades, I do, too. But my grey side does not scare me, as long as it is controlled and not affecting someone. My grey hasn’t really come out too much in my life (laughs!). My outlook towards life is positive. There are times when you are playing a character like in Omerta, where you have to take out all the darkness inside you. But then, on the other side, there are Newtons, too.

As actors, you are constantly judged for what you do and what you don’t. Do you fear being judged?
In the beginning, when I was looking for work in the city, I was judged a lot. I was judged on the basis of my physical appearance and people thought that I was not meant to be a leading man in the movies. They would say that they wanted me to do a small character role in the film. I didn’t take it to heart, as I knew there would be people out there, who would not judge me and would believe that I could be a leading man. Ekta Kapoor and Dibakar believed in me and gave me Love Sex Aur Dhokha and Ragini MMS followed. About actors being judged constantly, now, with the digital space booming, anyone can write anything from their social media handles. I take all the criticism in a positive way. As an actor, you know whether you are being honest in a performance and when I see myself on screen, I know what I could have done better.

Has criticism about your movie and performance ever made you angry?
Criticism doesn’t make me angry. If someone didn’t like me in a particular film, that’s their point of view. You can learn from it, if you want to. If I know someone is writing for the heck of it, then I read it and forget about it. There are some reviews that I seriously follow and learn from. You can’t take criticism personally, you have to look at it constructively.

The last few years have been packed with work for you. Would you like to do fewer films and get some breathing space?
After every two films, I feel like taking a break, then some script comes my way and I can’t refuse it. I want to work around it and that’s what has been happening for the last three years. I am sure my bigger plan is to do lesser work and get more involved in every character that I play. I would love to give more time to the process in every film. Of course, my character in Bareilly Ki Barfi would not require that kind of prep that an Omerta, Newton or Shahid would, yet, each character has its own process. I didn’t realise how much I enjoyed comedy until Bareilly… happened. Till then, people thought of me as a very serious guy who did only intense roles.

Your film Stree (2018),which was in the horror comedy space, stood out. The kind of reactions it received, I think it took you all by surprise. Does the success of that film push you to venture into territories of cinema that are not being explored as much in our industry?
We were surprised, no one expected the film to do that well. We made it with a lot of love, and we were glad that it pushed boundaries and resonated with the audience. I love trying new things, and going into spaces where I have not been before. The last few films of mine have been with debut directors (Shelly Chopra Dhar for Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga; Amar Kaushik for Stree; Hardik Mehta for Roohi Afza; Atul Manjrekar for Fanney Khan and Namrata Singh Gujral for 5 Weddings). For me, if I like the story and the energy that the director brings, I am on with it. If there is a certain synergy that I have with the director, it doesn’t matter if he is a first-time director or someone who is well-known for his work. I am currently working on Roohi-Afza, and this story was written before Stree had released. I found Dino (filmmaker Dinesh Vijan) and Amar on this journey, and now they are like brothers for life. Dino thinks of work 24/7 and that is the kind of person I am, too. I think about cinema 24/7 and it is not just about my films or my work. I think about other actors’ performances, any good film or show that I have seen. I am always in that zone.