Rajkummar Rao: It’s better to do a powerful part in a good film than do a leading part in a bad film

Rajkummar Rao has carved a niche for himself owing to his incredible talent and passion for cinema. Without paying much heed to the cast or the banner, Rajkummar has always chosen plots and scripts over anything else and that has ultimately fetched him a reputed place in the industry. With a whole lot of projects lined up in his kitty, Rajkummar is all set to mesmerise his fans with his onscreen performances in upcoming films.Recently, Rajkummar interacted with the media while promoting 'Fanney Khan' and here are some excerpts from the interview.
How do you describe your role in ‘Fanney Khan’?
Well, we have had loads of fun in ‘Fanney Khan’, with Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Like you watched in the trailer as well, it is a nice slice of a life, sweet and an entertaining family film. But it also conveys several important messages, it talks about aspirations, dreams and body-shaming which is an extremely crucial issue in today’s time and age. Especially youngsters who have to deal with so much social pressures, where the world is watching you through Facebook and Instagram, so there is a constant pressure of the pictures that you upload or the amount of likes you get. So, yes this film is for them as well for it will teach you how to believe in yourself...Everybody’s special, everybody’s beautiful. My character’s name in the film is Adheer and even though there is an age-gap between me and Anil Kapoor, but we are friends who work at the same place. We are both losers, who are struggling in their respective lives to make it better, and then how we get hold of Ash under those circumstances, and then Ash and I also have sweet and an innocent love story running parallely.
Aishwarya being a senior actress, how was it working with her?
It was really amazing. She is very committed. Of course, we are all her fans and have been watching her since years together on the big screen. Her acting is as beautiful and magical as her personality. I feel that she will leave the audience highly surprised and impressed in the film. People have been appreciating our chemistry in the movie and I want to credit her for what we managed to create onscreen with each other. She gave me that space to improvise. I didn’t get nervous while romancing her as I am a professional actor, I can’t get nervous when I have to act.
How much do you believe in social media and the popularity it fetches?
Yes, it is a powerful medium, we can’t deny the power of social media. But, it is not right to be dependent on it the whole time. I see, youngsters especially there are extremely influenced by the number of likes or comments their pictures get. Life is not about how many likes on your Instagram or social media. Like is much beyond that, it’s about your life and what you make out of it and not about that momentary thing that how famous are you.
What do you have to say about these fake likes accounts?
They do exist predominantly on social media, but thankfully my followers are all genuine who actually want to know about my life. But, yes there are these agencies which help you get fake likes and fake followers. But I think why to seek so much desperation in life? What is the need to buy people’s likes on social media?
Have you ever faced body-shaming?
(Laughs) Does it look in any way that I would be ever body-shamed? I was into sports ever since I was a kid. I have never experienced body-shaming. But I do know people and I have had friends, who’d be slightly overweight and who’d be conscious about their looks and appearance, but they were very talented. So it doesn’t matter actually how you look, what matters is your inner beauty and the kind of person you are. For me, Adele is one of the most talented singers in this world. It doesn’t matter if she’s overweight or fit or thin, it’s her talent which we all love and it’s her talent which makes her the most beautiful person in the world.
Since your character is that of “loser” as described by you, contrary to that you have achieved a whole lot in your career, so what do you have to say about playing this character in ‘Fanney Khan’?
As an actor it is our duty and responsibility to play all kinds of roles and characters which come our way. So no matter what I have to play whether it is that of a terrorist or a political leader or anything, it is my responsibility to do with loyalty and honesty.
What according to you was the turning point in your career?
Actually there are 2-3 turning points in my career. Most importantly, is my first film ‘LSD (Love, Sex Aur Dhokha)’ from where it all began, because we all know how many people come here in the city to live their dream. So I consider myself extremely lucky that within a period of 1-2 years I found my first project in Bollywood. After that, National Award bagged by ‘Shahid’ was another turning point in my life and then I think ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, when the audience saw me a different avatar and got a glimpse of my fun side as well.
‘Fanney Khan’ also has an aspect of kidnapping. So if you get an opportunity to kidnap a Bollywood or any star, who would it be?
Well, if given that opportunity then I would love to kidnap someone Daniel Day Lewis, and now since he has quit acting, I would ask him that since you have so much time to spare please tell me how you do what you do. From Bollywood, well it’s quite tricky, I would love to keep Aamir (Khan) with me. I wouldn’t kidnap him and in fact we are not even kidnapper in the film.
Since you have carved a niche for yourself, do you now only want to do leading roles in movies?
Not at all, even in ‘Fanney Khan’ I am not the leading man. So wherever I feel that I have good part to play and to be a part of a good story, I would love to do that. I always say this, that it’s better to do a powerful part in a good film than to do a leading part in a bad film. You should feel excited and proud of what you’ve done.
How satisfied do you feel when you take a look at your journey so far?
Not satisfied as yet, but I definitely consider myself to be fortunate because I got a chance to work with some phenomenal filmmakers. If the filmmaker is god, your performance too gets better simultaneously. I got the chance to work with such people, those people have made me a better actor, those co-stars have made me a better actor and my upcoming films also have some amazing names attached to them.
What all sports have you played as a kid?
Cricket of course, since it runs in every North-Indian boy’s blood. I have also excelled in Taekwondo, Martial Arts for 10 years in which I have won a Gold medal on a National level on behalf of the State. Apart from that Kabaddi, Hockey, Volleyball, Basketball, I’ve played almost everything.
When did you think of becoming an actor?
I have always been a film buff and would take films rather seriously. I would imagine myself in film I would watch and think of them as something real. I would cry if Amitji died in ‘Agneepath’ or would become Raj from ‘DDLJ’. So I have always had that love for films.
How much does box-office success matter to you?
If a film doesn’t perform well, I do get upset, but we all knew that ‘Omerta’ is a very niche film and caters to a specific kind of an audience. But, yes box office definitely holds importance as it also helps build your career. But then, it’s not just about the box office but also how many people watch your films. Thanks to the digital medium that people are still watching and praising my work in ‘Shahid’.
How was your camaraderie with Anil Kapoor?
It was fabulous in fact, if you meet him you’d feel the same. He is a people’s person. He has a soft corner for me which I feel very fortunate about. Someone whom you’ve grown up watching treats you like a friend today is something that unexplainable. It was lovely working with him and he is a very committed actor and we all know about his infectious energy level which he exudes wherever he goes. I loved his character in ‘Taal’, ‘Pukar’, ‘Nayak’.
Are you financially satisfied yet?
I actually don’t have any financial fulfilments as such and anyway I did not come here to make money. I came here to become an actor because I genuinely love what I do. I think it’s a good beginning. I have just started a good night’s sleep and have started dreaming and it’s still a long way to go.
How was it working with Kangana Ranaut in ‘Mental Hai Kya’?
Kangana is a dear friend and we have almost wrapped the shooting of the film. We go back to the time when we did ‘Queen’ and that friendship has definitely helped in the film. Her talent has also added in getting my character on point. Kangana is a thinking actor, she gives deep thought about her character and the film. Like her character in ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’, there are very few actors who would agree to look like Datto. She is a fearless actor and is ready to do anything for it.
Irrfan Khan’s wife Sutapa had revealed that you are her favourite actor, so did you feel to receive this compliment?
It felt great to know that your favourite actor’s wife likes you because for me my favourite actor is Irrfan Khan. I had met him as well in London and hopefully he will be back soon.