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.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 3, 2014)

There’s something about Rajkummar Rao. Even when he’s on the losing side he comes out a winner. He remains the King despite losing his Queen. And is unfazed by the ‘good riddance’ catcalls that ring through the theatres when Kangana Ranaut’s character dumps him, or when his character Vijay elicits candid ‘hum bhi aise hain yaar’ confessions from young MCPs. But even as the nation goes gaga over his realistic performances, Rajkummar is not hankering for a ‘hero’ status.

“While growing up, even I wanted to be a hero who bashes up 20 baddies before walking away with the girl. But the years in theatre and the film school opened my eyes to the fact that there’s more to acting than herogiri. Today, acting is not just my vocation but my salvation too,” says the Prince of Bollywood with the fervour of an evangelist.

However, Rajkummar is quick to point out that while he may have accepted Queen knowing it was a Kangana film soon after doing the title role in Shahid, he had the reassurance that in a month’s time Citylights in which he plays the protagonist, would hit the theatres.

While Shahid is the fictionalised biopic of a slain activist-lawyer, Citylights is the official remake of Metro Manila--UK’s official entry for the 2013 Oscars. The actor reveals that neither director Hansal Mehta nor he has seen the original yet. “For both of us Citylights is a fresh film and it has taken a lot from me, both physically and emotionally, to prepare,” says the actor who lost almost 12 kgs to play the part of a Rajasthani migrant.

By the time his prep, which included spending three weeks in a Rajasthan, to learn the local dialect and culture, Rajkummar had blended so well with his surrounding that rarely was he recognised as anything but a local. “And if they did they’d add that I looked very different on screen,” he laughs. “I want to be acknowledged as the best actor in the country.”

He’s been nurturing the dream for the last 12 years. It wasn’t easy when he landed in the city in 2008. Fortunately, his parents sent him money till he landed a film with Dibakar Banerjee and Ekta Kapoor, Love, Sex Aur Dhokha. “I told my family, except for my grandfather, that the film was called LSD. And no one was informed that it had a nude scene,” reminisces Rajkummar, grateful that his exposure to international films like Sean Penn’s Milk, his co-star Neha Chauhan’s professionalism and Dibakar silly boy-to-boy questions before the shots like ‘Have you ever opened a bra strap before?’ got him through the scene with no awkwardness. LSD not only wowed the critics and wooed the discerning cinegoer, but also got him the attention of filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap.

Ekta Kapoor also never forgot him. When they were unable to find an actor for Ragini MMS even after six months of auditions, she told casting director Atul Mongia to call him. Atul tempted him to accept the film by assuring that he’d get a chance to redefine the horror genre. Rajkummar started off by changing his character from a corporate guy to a struggling actor.

“Even in Arbaaz Khan’s rom-com, Dolly Ki Doli, which has just started, my character was initially that of a UP boy, but I made him a Haryanvi Jat, Sonu from Sonipat,” he reveals. The Prince Charming has fond memories of his romantic onscreen dalliance with Amrita Puri in Kai Po Che! “Even in Gurgaon it is common for guys to fall in love with their best friend’s sister,” he points out, adding that while he was reading Chetan Bhagat’s novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, he was hoping someone would adapt it on screen and give him a chance to play introverted, complex, very driven-to-make-money Govind. “Three years later Abhishek (Kapoor) did, and I got to play Govind,” Rajkummar exults.

His romantic streak will continue with Hamari Adhuri Kahani, co-starring Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan, in which he is the third angle. “It’s partly the story of Mahesh Bhatt’s parents and his stepmother but it’s too early to think about it. Right now, all I can think about is getting over a gym injury which I sustained in an effort to quickly put on some of the kilos I had shed for Citylights so I can woo my Dolly. At least the food tastes better now that carbs are back in my diet,” he sighs.

Is there a Dolly in real life too? That draws a guffaw, “There were lots of Dollys when I was growing up. I guess they are all married now. But I hope they watch my films and brag about the fact that once upon a time I had a crush on them. ”