Casting directors would discourage Rajkummar Rao from auditioning for lead roles, recalls actor: 'Teen scene hain toh'

Hindustan Times

19 hours ago

Breaking the type is an actor's dream. Even someone like Rajkummar Rao, known for the variety in his body of work, says that he wants to surprise the audience. The trailer of his upcoming film, Maalik, has certainly managed the job. Rajkummar, the poster boy of tier-2 city slice-of-life stories, is playing a ruthless gangster in this gore-filled action film. Ahead of the film's release, Rajkummar sits down with HT to talk about the film, his career, and more. Rajkummar Rao in a still from Maalik, his upcoming gangster drama.
On Maalik
Maalik is Rajkummar's first entry into the mass action genre, which has even lured the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee in the last couple of years. Talking about seeing himself being presented in a larger-than-life manner on screen, the actor says, "It is exciting because I get to do something very different from anything I have done to date. As an actor, that's what I want to do—play different people, explore different genres, and present myself in a different way to the audience. Maalik has given me that opportunity in a very big way."
He does add, almost as an afterthought: "Having said that, nothing is in my comfort zone, to be honest. Doing comedy also isn't easy. It's very difficult."
Over the course of his career, Rajkummar has borrowed the quirks and mannerisms of his characters from people he has seen - be it a family member (for Vidrohi in Bareilly Ki Barfi) or a DTC bus conductor (for Vicky in Stree). But Maalik is different. The actor admits he has not met anyone like this character in real life. So, his entire preparation depended on the script. "I read the script a few times, and then I start seeing visuals of how this guy would walk and what his voice would sound like, and what his mannerisms would be. I feel that's a blessing. And for me, the internal process is way more important than the external. The external is easy. You do nothing, and you can grow your beard and hair. But to reach the soul of the character is the real work as an actor," explains Rajkummar.
On being boxed by Bollywood
Maalik's trailer has a line wherein a character tells Rajkummar's character that he should not try to become something he was not born to be. The actor says that line resonated with him because as an actor, he would see people try to put him in a box early on in his career. "In Mumbai, when I started and met casting directors and asked them, 'Can I audition for the lead part,' they would ask me why," recalls Rajkummar. The actor says the staple reply would be: "Audition for this role, teen scene hain toh (it's got three good scenes)." And the actor says he would just soldier on, steadfast in his belief that "maybe somebody would one day want me to audition for the lead role."
That eventually happened when Dibakar Banerjee allowed him to audition for the lead in Love Sex Aur Dhokha. That film, followed by Shahid, got him noticed. "And then Kai Po Che, a big commercial film, opened more doors for me," he shares.
On surprising the audience
With Maalik, the actor hopes that he can open more doors, just for himself. He has done diverse films like Shahid, Badhaai Do, Bareilly Ki Barfi, and Love Sex Aur Dhokha. But, Rajkummar's hunger to surprise the audience is not satiated. Talking about his character in Maalik, he says. "When you come up with something people don't expect you to do, that is very thrilling, more than anything else. Sometimes people feel you are in a safe, comfortable zone and doing a certain kind of film, then you break that and do something out of your comfort zone; that is the fun of being an actor."
Maalik also stars Manushi Chhillar and Prosenjit Chatterjee. Directed by Pulkit, the film hits the screens on July 11.