Actor Gajraj Rao made his debut with Bandit Queen (1994), and today, he has craved a niche with his performances in films such as Badhaai Ho (2018), Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020) and the recently released Satyaprem Ki Katha. But it hasn’t been an easy journey for the 52-year-old. Recently, he recalled his tough times in a Varun Duggi podcast and narrated his conversation with a casting director, who asked him to charge less as the project needed only “20 days work”.

Rao said he wasn’t charging for those 20 days, but for all the years of “homework” he did to reach this stage of his career. “The fee I charge is for all those days when I worked hard and survived on 20 cups of tea, slept hungry, listened to abuse and walked on foot from South Mumbai to Andheri,” he said.

Rao added that he did different jobs without any guidance: “At one point, my financial situation was very difficult. I like having financial security now, because I’ve worked hard for 25-30 years. I like expensive phones, travelling business class and staying in nice hotels, and I have no shame in admitting this. I want it for myself and my family. I want to give them the best of everything.”