I never signed 'NH 10' officially. I was supposed to do it. Then it got delayed. Then I moved on to other films like 'Kai Po Che' and 'Shahid.'
— Rajkummar Rao
I was fortunate to work with some of the talented filmmakers of our industry. In addition, one film leads to another. As a newcomer, I explored those opportunities.
After finishing my study in Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), I was mentally prepared for the struggle in the film industry.
Content is getting its due respect. Our audience wants to see characters on screen and want to see actors play new roles, adapt different body language.
I don't know how a hero feels, honestly. I feel like an actor; I wanted to be an actor. I always want to feel just like an actor. I don't know this 'hero' term.
I love playing different and challenging characters on screen, and Newton is one such role. But I'm someone who doesn't think so much about what will happen next.
Every time I think I'm going to take it slow, a good script comes along.
Whenever I think I'm going to do two films a year, I get another wonderful story, like 'Stree', and I'm like, 'Wow!'
We have to address the safety of women, and that is of utmost importance right now. I would love to work only with people with ethics and the right moral conduct.
My only job is to act and play the character truthfully and honestly.
There is a sense of responsibility when you play a real-life character because there are people who will see your work, make comparisons, and judge you. They have all the rights to do that because they know the real person. They might have seen that person also.
I have to finish 'Behen Hogi Terim' and then get right into that zone to seriously start preparing for it. It is a huge responsibility to play Netaji.
We are seeing how people we have looked up to and were inspired by in our work have suddenly just gone because there are such serious allegations against them. I really don't know why it is not happening here.
Building a character - nothing gives me more high than the process of exploring someone else's life on screen.
People claim that no good actors came out of FTII after Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi. What they don't know is that the acting course was closed for 26 years and reopened only in 2004.
My biggest high is just to be in front of the camera and be on a film set.
How content-driven cinema worked so well... Yeah, the shift is definitely happening... It is such a good change, and it is the kind of change I would like to see so that we just go to watch a film and not put them into brackets - that this is an art film or commercial movie.
I am very happy for the kind of response I am getting for my work, but there was a lot of hard work that has gone into it.
There was a phase where nothing was going right, and the thought crossed my mind that what is going to happen. Since I had no Plan B, I was sure from the beginning that I love acting and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, so I had to be ready to struggle.
Filmmaking is teamwork.
The speed at which cinema is changing, the definition of hero is also changing. Even a big superstar like Aamir sir plays the role of a father. There's action genre, where you have to show body and do stunts, so you may call that a hero.
I don't really think about the box office, but I want my films to do well.
If I like a particular character or story, I usually say yes to the film.
I am a greedy actor: I want all the scripts to come to me. So I do all the good films which come my way, even if it means I'll rest a little less.
I did not even know there are so many options for girls to wear. Playing a tailor gave me quite some knowledge about girls' clothing.
I'm sure that both me and Sushant will collaborate on something exciting very soon.
It's amazing how you get to recreate somebody else's life on-screen. It's wonderful when you get responses like, 'You actually look like him.'
It's a one-day story of a guy called Newton Kumar, and the backdrop is election: how the most powerful tool we have as citizens is vote but how we don't utilise it. We really don't give importance to it. It talks about democracy; it's a satire, a black comedy.
I think media will tell me how many films I have done in 2018, same as they did in 2017. So, let's see how it goes, but I don't really keep a count. I love doing interesting work.
You can put up a post on social media, and people will support you.
People in the industry know that FTII students have a different and an honest approach towards work. The place gave me a voice and the ability to see things from a different perspective.
The kind of films I am doing are moderately budgeted and are with A-listers.
I want to go higher in my career. This is not my best. My best is yet to come.
What's the fun in doing conventional things? I would rather be known as someone who is unconventional. I like being unconventional. I like doing things which are different. That's what I like... It gives me a boost as an actor.
All the characters play an important role. For me, as an actor, for my character to come out so beautifully, I would give all the credit to my co-actors, directors and writers.
I knew that I was just one of those actors who came to Mumbai to achieve their dreams. I knew that nobody would welcome me with open arms and auditions were the only way to get a chance.
Good actors have always supported each other's performances in a film, and the same happened in 'Bareilly Ki Barfi.' We all supported each other throughout.
If someone comes to me with a script and says, 'Sir, this hero...' I'm like, 'Is there a name, or he is just called a hero?' We are not heroes. Heroes are people fighting for us at the border. We are not heroes; we are just doing our job.
Whenever I like a character or a script, I take up the project and leave the rest to the audience.
I am very proud of 'Newton.' It's a wonderful film.
Everybody is replaceable; nobody is irreplaceable here. If I'm going to say no to it because I want to do two films a year and sit at home, someone else will.
'Stree' is a horror comedy in which a bridal ghost who is back in town to take revenge from men, she is the one giving a lot of pain to the men. We have reversed the role, which is such an amazing feeling.
I have immense respect for Nitesh sir and really admire his work. He's one of my closest friends in the industry, with whom I can have a heart-to-heart chat.
Playing a real-life character, as an actor, gives me real high because there is so much of research material available in front of you.
'Newton' is a very Indian film. I think, after a long time, people will see an Indian film in its true form. As in the story, the character, it is set in the heartland of India, but it's purely like how there was a time when Hrishikesh Mukherjee used to make sweet Indian films.
You have to voice your opinion, especially now, since the times we are living in, it is so easy.
I don't know the reason why someone would not speak up about sexual harassment. I don't know why it doesn't happen here, but I am sure it exists not only in our industry, but every industry, it is there.
Whatever I am today is mostly because of my training at FTII. It taught me to be disciplined as an actor. People accuse us of being lazy and presume that we smoke up and laze about in the campus, which is not true at all. FTII courses are hard work.
What I believe is to keep working. How a film performs at the box office is not in my control: what is in my control is my work, how much honesty I can bring on-screen. I am happy people love me.
A lot of preparation was needed to play the character of Omar Sheikh in Omerta. I watched a lot of documentaries and hate speeches to cultivate anger in me.
