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Anshumaan Pushkar calls Rajkummar Rao a mentor-like friend

Anshumaan Pushkar calls Rajkummar Rao a mentor-like friend

Time of India16 hours ago
Actor
Anshumaan Pushkar
, has opened up about the deep professional bond that he shares with actor
Rajkummar Rao
. Calling the experience both "enriching and transformative," Anshumaan revealed that working with Rajkummar in
Maalik
was nothing short of inspiring.
"Raj is one of my favourite actors. I've followed his work closely for years, so to finally collaborate with him was a great learning experience,' Anshumaan shared. He added, 'On set, he's like a mentor and a good friend—always making things easier for his co-actors.'
In
Maalik
, both actors take on pivotal roles, and Anshumaan believes their strong off-screen chemistry translated effortlessly on screen. He recalled a memorable moment from the shoot: 'There was a tricky scene where I felt completely confused. Raj stood by me, gave his cues with full intensity, and later reassured me by saying I delivered exactly what the scene needed.'
The young actor also spoke about how regular discussions with Rajkummar on the nuances of acting helped him grow as a performer. 'We constantly exchanged thoughts on craft and character. Raj bhai's command over acting pushed me to dig deeper and evolve. I'll always be thankful to him for that,' he added.
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3 new movies releasing this Friday in theaters: Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan, Maalik and Superman
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3 new movies releasing this Friday in theaters: Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan, Maalik and Superman

July 11 is going to be wild for cinema lovers. Be it action, romance, or sci-fi, fans will witness a variety of genres. Wondering what's coming next weekend? Here's all you need to know about this Friday's release. 1. Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan Starring Vikrant Massey and Shanaya Kapoor in the lead roles, Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan is a romantic drama. The movie, directed by Santosh Singh, is inspired by Ruskin Bond's short story, The Eyes Have It. Reportedly, Vikrant Massey is playing a blind musician in the movie, while Shanaya Kapoor will be seen as a theater artist. Written by Mansi Bagla, the movie is receiving a positive response for its promotional assets. The teaser, trailer, and songs have elevated the buzz among the audience. Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan also marks the acting debut of Shanaya Kapoor in Bollywood. 2. Maalik Maalik, starring Rajkummar Rao in the lead, is also releasing this Friday. The crime action drama revolves around a Uttar Pradesh-based gangster. Directed by Pulkit of Bhakshak fame, Maalik is expected to be a gritty, intense, and entertaining theatrical experience. In addition, the movie marks Rajkummar Rao's entry into the out-an-out action space. His beard looks, and physical transformation has already sparked curiosity among his fans. The actor has also opted for a local UP accent to justify his character. Other than Rajkummar Rao, the movie stars Manushi Chhillar, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Saurabh Shukla. While Chatterjee is playing a cop in the movie who is on the hunt for Rao's character, Saurabh Shukla will be seen as a politician who can be the main antagonist. 3. Superman The much-awaited superhero movie Superman is releasing on July 11 in cinemas. Starring Clark Kent in the titular role, Superman is expected to storm the box office in India, thanks to its immense popularity and fan following. Written and directed by James Gunn, Superman will be released in multiple Indian languages- Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The trailer has received an overwhelming response from the audience, and fans are now awaiting its release. Going by the current trends, Superman is expected to open with a bang in India. The rest two will have to prove their worth to sail through a promising theatrical run at the box office. It will be interesting to see how these three titles perform against each other. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.

Rajkummar Rao REACTS to Maalik–Animal comparisons: 'We're not here to glorify anything...'
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  • Time of India

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As the release of 'Maalik' draws near, comparisons with films like 'Animal,' 'Pushpa,' and even 'Khalnayak' have begun to surface especially around the portrayal of violence and morally grey protagonists. In a chat with Bollywood Bubble, Rajkummar addressed the growing chatter about whether 'Maalik' glorifies violence in the same vein as its cinematic predecessors. 'This is the world of a gangster' The actor was asked if Maalik also promotes violence and denied promoting brutality, the actor exclusively told Bollywood Bubble, 'I think it's meant for entertainment, nothing else. It's a piece of cinema. As I said earlier, it's meant to be watched, enjoyed, and experienced. That's about it. We're not here to glorify anything. We're just telling a story.' He also emphasized that 'Maalik' is not about endorsing brutality but about portraying the psychological and emotional cost of power. He acknowledged that while the film is intense and action-packed, it's plant in character-driven storytelling. The Animal and Pushpa effect With 'Animal' and 'Pushpa' setting new benchmarks for violence in a stylish manner and anti-hero narratives, 'Maalik' inevitably enters the same conversation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Book Now And Save up to ₹23.71L on Luxury Homes in Whitefield Sumadhura Group Learn More Undo But Rajkummar is clear: Maalik may share genre DNA, but it's not a clone. 'Every story has its own soul. We're not trying to replicate anyone. We're telling a story that's raw, real, and rooted in its own world,' he said. Beyond the bloodshed Co-star Manushi Chhillar, who has a key part in the film, said that 'Maalik' looks into who has power, heart pain, and the price of big dreams. She talked about the hard parts of playing a less-glam role and why tales from small towns hold more deep feelings. The bigger picture Made by Pulkit, 'Maalik' takes place in 1988 Allahabad. It shows how a small hustler grows to be a big, scary gangster. The movie stars Prosenjit Chatterjee, Saurabh Shukla, and Huma Qureshi - who shows up in a special role. It aims to give a tough, deep story that dives into hard choices. 'Maalik' comes to big screens on July 11, 2025.

'Maalik' actor Rajkummar Rao on his Bollywood journey: 'Watched a lot of Shah Rukh Khan films, to be born in a low middle class family with no money and...'
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First Post

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'Maalik' actor Rajkummar Rao on his Bollywood journey: 'Watched a lot of Shah Rukh Khan films, to be born in a low middle class family with no money and...'

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the actor spoke about his first outing as a gangster, his idea of mass cinema, the inspiration behind becoming an actor, and the dos and don'ts on his film sets. read more Rajkummar Rao was the most successful star of 2024. For 2025, he has a film called Maalik coming up that releases in cinemas on July 11. There's Toasters with Sanya Malhotra as well which marks his and his wife and actress Patralekhaa's foray into production. This is a Netflix release. Now back to Maalik. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the actor spoke about his first outing as a gangster, his idea of mass cinema, the inspiration behind becoming an actor, and the dos and don'ts on his film sets. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Edited excerpts from the interview So my first question to you is that every time I see an interview of an actor, they say they are accidental actors. Are you also going to tell me you are an accidental actor? Not at all. I'm a very much planned actor. This is the only thing I wanted to do since I was a kid. When I started watching films, I fell in love with cinema. I fell in love with those actors, those stories, and I decided this is what I want to do in life. It was in class ninth or tenth I was, and that's where I started my journey with. I started doing theatre. I joined a film school, FTII in Pune. I came to Bombay for that. So ever since the pandemic has ended, people have been saying that they want to watch mass cinema. So I first want to ask you before we move to Maalik, how would you define the term mass cinema? I think every cinema is cinema, to be honest. You know, like, Stree worked part one I'm talking about. I don't know if it was a mass cinema. It was a story about a very small town called Chanderi, but the concept was so unique that people lapped it up. It became such a big success, and of course, Stree 2 broke all the records. Srikanth also worked. It's not like they are like mass cinema, maybe on a layman's terms if I would think that somebody which is larger than life, you know, with great music, some great set action pieces. Maybe that is what mass cinema's definition is, but for me, cinema is cinema. Either I like a film or I don't like a film. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Your filmography has such a variety of titles, there is Ragini MMS, there is Trapped, there is Newton, there is Gangs of Wasseypur, there is Bhool Chuk Maaf. What drives your film choices? Always a story. If a story is trying to say something new, it's a unique kind of story. And if it offers me something exciting to explore as an actor, I say yes to that. And then it also depends a lot on the director who's making it. Because it's absolutely a director's medium. You can be the best actor in the world, but if the director is not up to the mark, then that can never be turned into a good film. So what excited you about Maalik? Maalik, again, the story. I think it's such a powerful story with this rigid raw character and the journey that Maalik has from being this Majboor Baap Ka Beta who comes from a very low start of the society to becoming this Maalik. This journey got me very excited. And Pulkit, our director and the writer, he's a friend. We worked together, Bose. And he's a phenomenal filmmaker, very gutsy, very passionate about what he does, and a great human being, dear friend. And Jayu, who's our producer, he's also a dear friend. So it was a team that I thought would be so much fun to be a part of this team in this story. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How was it like tasting blood? It was the first time for me. I had a lot of fun. I had a great time fighting those AK 56 and AK 47 and then using my body to do action. I beefed up for this film. I I wanted to feel very strong to play Malik. So I enjoyed doing these action stunts and action pieces, also because they were very real in nature. He's doing things which are larger than life, but in a very believable manner. Because most of the movies that are about gangsters are about good versus evil. But do you feel Malik digs deeper, the character as well as the film? It does. It does. It digs deeper. It also tells you I love the line from our film, which is also in the trailer. It's the tagline also. It's a tagline, which is such a universal line. It doesn't talk only about Maalik. It talks about all of us that we are not born with a silver spoon, but we have that capability that we can make it big in life. We can be our own Maalik. We don't have to be a servant to anyone. So that's a line I really got connected with. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Because it also describes your journey as well… In a way, yes. I could, that's the reason maybe I could connect with it because I also come from a very humble beginnings, you know, to be born in a low middle class family with no money and to have this gutsy dream of becoming a film actor one day. The journey wasn't smooth, but it was exciting. Was there any particular film that really inspired you to be a part of the industry? We used to watch a lot of films. I grew up in a joint family and, there was this tradition that we would get that VCR for one night. And then we would watch two, three films that day. So I think there only it started. I remember watching a lot of Shahrukh Khan films in theatres and on VCR, watching Agneepath, believing in that story so much that I started crying after Vijay Deenanath Chauhan dies, that Amitabh Bachchan cannot die. He's Amitabh Bachchan. So I was howling under my pillow saying Bhagwan, please Amitabh Bachchan nahin mar sakta. So I believed those stories. I think all these actors influenced me to join this journey and to join their gang. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mukesh Chhabra has said this in many of his interviews that you are one of those rare actors who cracked every audition, be it Queen, Kai Po Che, Gangs of Wasseypur, Shahid. What goes behind auditioning for a film and your earliest memories of him? So I, of course, auditioned for a lot of films. I auditioned for Queen. I auditioned for Kai Po Che. I didn't have to go through too many auditions for Shahid, to be honest. But because I used to be present in all the auditions of other actors, for every audition, if any actor would come, I would go in, so that I can support and then also can work on my own character in those auditions. I loved giving auditions. I thought it's a great exercise. Also, as an actor, you get to work. You get to perform in front of the camera. You get to try new things. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So I have very fond memories of auditioning. And with Mukesh, of course, you know, his office was in Aram Nagar, and I was staying at Yari Road, which is not too far. I remember him, so many times he would just call me for an audition and I would turn up there. I'll be there in ten minutes because I knew this is the only thing I've come to the city for, to audition because that's the only way being an outsider that you can give a good audition and then maybe get a film. So I would turn up for every audition, and I enjoyed that process a lot. You were described as the most successful and profitable actor of 2024. You were also the star of the year of 2017. But does commercial success ever drive your choices? I mean, do you look at a script and say that it's a good script, but maybe it's not commercial enough? I mean, corrupt might not be the right word, but do you get carried away? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Corrupt is the only word. Corrupt is the only word. When you start choosing scripts, only thinking that, oh, this might work at the box office. Of course, every actor wants his films to work at the box office, but nobody knows the formula. We do everybody, we all do films thinking that this will be a success. Sometimes it's not. But it's not like your faith in that script would change. For example, a recent example, I would say Badhaai Do. It's one of my most favourite films. It didn't work as brilliantly at the box office that we would expect. The reason could be so many. Maybe the wrong release date, everything. It was during COVID But does it make anything less for that film in my head? No. It's still one of my most special films. It found its audience, and I would again and again work with Harsh who's a dear friend and a director. You have been working very successfully as an actor. You are a bona-fide movie star. You're also turning a producer now. So as an actor, as a producer, as a star, what are some of the things on a movie set that you make sure are properly followed? It could be food for the co stars or the crew, working environment, working hours. All these. That's the first thing, so Patralekhaa produced Toaster. And the next one that we are filming currently is, under our banner, which is a theatrical. That's also what Patralekhaa is producing. And the first thing that we said because, you know, after working for so many years for both of us, we know that you have to give good food to the crew. And you have to give it on time. That's the basic thing that they expect out of you. So the first thing we told our production team is that we cannot compromise on the food quality. There has to be everybody working for the film. Nobody's doing anyone any favour. They're all professionals, so please provide good food and on time. And second thing is there cannot be any hierarchy on set. Everybody is equally important to the film. Everybody is contributing something or the other to the film. And even before turning into a producer, this is something I maintain, that there cannot be any hierarchy on set. It's not like I'm going to take, I'm going to call all the shots. Not at all.

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