Mohit Suri’s next film, ‘Humaari Adhuri Kahani’, is about a woman who is in a troubled marriage and a man (Emraan Hashmi), who tries to rescue her. After the trailer was launched Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi won all the praises but Rajkummar Rao’s performance stood apart. With an untidy look and an unruly demeanor, Rajkummar plays the role of VidyaBalan’s disturbed husband. He may not be your glamorous, hunky looking actor but his acting skills make him a standout.
Even after watching a few of Rajkummar Rao’s films, it’s very difficult to notice him. His body language, his screen presence and his voice, all of them are more about the character he is portraying than Rajkummar. While many actors claim to get into the character, this one actually lives it. This quality sets him apart and makes him the most sought after young actors today.
For someone like him, few years ago, it would have been difficult pursuing the sort of roles he is capable of. With emphasis on method acting, lack of signature style and no Bollywood godfather, Rajkummar carved a niche for himself by taking up unconventional roles like that of a money-minded Gujarati guy in Kai Po Che!, or an opportunistic small time criminal in the coal mining belt in Gangs of Wasseypur 2, or the slimy cop in Shaitan. Taking up glamorous roles was not what he wanted and he seemed pretty clear about that.
However, the most challenging role, till date has to be the portrayal of real life slain lawyer and human rights activist, Shahid Azmi. The choice was challenging because Azmi defended people who were considered indefensible. People falsely accused of terror attacks, were his clients and he defended them in the court. Azmi’s choice led to him getting killed and his portrayal could have put Rajukummar’s career at risk. But it was Azmi’s audacious, non-stop fight against injustice that attracted him to the role. In fact, the role changed many of his own assumptions. He says, “Earlier as a layman, I used to read about people being arrested for terrorism and for me, they were immediately guilty. Now, I understand it isn’t always so simple.”
As the film opened to rave reviews, and garnered acclaim for its makers and won the National Award (Best Actor and Best Director), Rajkummar has been singled out for praise for his realistic acting. Considering it was made on a tight budget of Rs 84 lakhs, this offbeat film even managed to generate a healthy profit margin. In fact, it’s little known that he himself was responsible for getting UTV on board as distributors, when he mentioned the project to them during the making of Kai Po Che!. He himself got involved with the film due to the insistence of producer Anurag Kashyap, who was keen on casting him after they worked together on Gangs of Wasseypur 2. Over the years, while building up an impressive repertoire of work, he has also managed to create a network of powerful well-wishers.
Nevertheless, at 29, Rajkummar is clear about what sets him apart from the pack, and is constantly looking to hone his best asset—acting skills. “A lot of people worry about going to the gym or learning this and that, but the most important thing is to keep working on your craft. After that, you can pick up whatever other aspects of the film industry you like.”
Rajkummar will be seen playing Vidya Balan’s husband in ‘Hummari Adhuri Kahani’. The versatile actor will romance Dream Girl, Hema Malini and Rukul Preet Singh in ‘Shimla Mirch’.
