Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 20, 2020)

The Badhaai Ho (2018) actor Gajraj Rao feels fortunate to have “the privilege of choice when it comes to zeroing in on a future project”. “I have reached a certain stage in my career wherein I don’t have to take up a project only for the financial reasons, if I’m not satisfied with it,” he says. Staying at home for the last three months were “a bit tough initially”, but he says these are extraordinary circumstances and we are all in this together.

The actor has been discussing a few projects while waiting for the release of Lootcase, a film co-starring Kunal Kemmu and Rasika Duggal. It is a “special project” for him as it has been directed by his colleague from advertising world, Rajesh Krishnan.

There have been conversations about character actors and second leads not getting enough importance in films or during promotions. Ask Rao, about the same and he says, “In any wedding, the spotlight is always on the bride and groom. It is indeed true that sometimes, some actors do not get their due, but I always try and seek inspiration from these stories and work harder in my performances. If your performance has that spark, people will definitely notice and remember you. It doesn’t matter how long it has taken, what matters is the recognition from the audience for my work and the effort that has gone into it. Even if it took long, I am glad that today people recognize me.”

He continues, “The love and appreciation I got for Badhaai Ho was almost surreal, but if I do not keep improving upon my craft and churn out better performances, I’m bound to be forgotten. I won’t have any reasons to complain either. I have to stay grounded and keep toiling everyday, so that my craft becomes better, and there are no two ways about it. Sincerity will always shine through. Tareefon se ghar nahin chalta, mehnat se chalta hai.”