Rajkummar Rao on being teachers’ blue-eyed boy and living his childhood dream every day since making his debut 10 years ago
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 12, 2020)

After months of staying put at home in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, Rajkummar Rao is back on the sets. Speaking from Chandigarh, where he’s shooting for a yet-untitled film with Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Ratna Pathak Shah, the actor sounds upbeat about reclaiming his place in front of the camera. 2020 marks 10 years of his Bollywood debut and he remembers how, as a student of Class 10th, he would mimic Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee from Shool, believing everything he saw on screen was real, and wanting to do what they were doing. “Sitting in a small town, thinking of becoming a Hindi film actor and pursuing the passion without a Plan B was the biggest leap of faith I could have taken,” he admits, hoping he gets to do more challenging roles in the next decade.

Raj’s upcoming film, Chhalaang, with frequent collaborator Hansal Mehta is a comedy, and the actor insists that the director is a quirky guy even though he makes intense dramas. “Meet him at a party where he is in his elements and you will know all about his comic timing and what fun he can be! We were shooting in a school and there were kids around. We actually played volleyball, basketball, and cricket with them,” he relays. Recalling his own school days, Raj reveals that his PT teachers were very supportive of him. “I was good at sports and represented Haryana in martial arts at the National level in school. I took part in all extra-curricular activities, including dance and plays, and still cleared all my exams. The eight hours of school were an adventure!” he shares.

In the film, Raj is Mahinder Hooda, a PT teacher, who falls in love with the computer teacher, Neelima, played by Nushrratt Bharuccha, but has to defeat arch-rival Zeeshan Ayyub’s I M Singh, to win her and keep his job. Despite his turn as a coach, the actor didn’t have to prep physically. “Mahinder is a laidback guy who doesn’t believe in physical training. Even in real life, PT teachers are not necessarily the epitome of fitness. In fact, many double up as science or maths teachers,” he reasons. What he did do was listen to Raginis, Haryanvi folk songs, and interacted with locals to get into the character.

Interestingly, in his other Diwali release, Ludo, Raj plays a diehard Mithun Chakraborty fan and reveals that even in his real life he practices Dada’s dance moves but had to learn some new ones for the film. “We are both from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and I had met him a couple of times when he regaled me with stories. There can’t be a party without a Mithun song,” he chuckles.

After three years of working almost non-stop, the lockdown gave the actor the time to focus on the nuances of his craft through online workshops. “I have lots of story ideas but writing requires patience, so I’ll ask a professional to write them,” he muses. He also used the downtime to hone his culinary skills, sticking to soul food like desserts and khichdi. He shared many throwback vacation pics, and admits he’ll take off as soon as the pandemic allows it, besides becoming the internet’s favourite boyfriend after snipping girlfriend Patralekhaa’s tresses. Wedding bells to ring soon? “You’ll get to know whenever that happens,” he says shortly, and returns to the camera.