Latest news with #RaginiMMS
News18
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Rajkummar Rao Felt 'Bad' After Anurag Kashyap Cut His Gangs Of Wasseypur Role: 'Nobody Had Money'
Despite the initial setback, Rajkummar credits Anurag for recommending him to Hansal Mehta for Shahid, a turning point in his career. Rajkummar Rao, currently promoting his upcoming film Maalik, has opened up about a defining phase in his acting career. The actor recalled his early association with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and the cult film Gangs of Wasseypur. In an interview with Pinkvilla, Rajkummar revealed that his role in the film was originally planned to be a parallel lead alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui, but later got drastically reduced. 'Anurag sir called me for Gangs of Wasseypur. At that time, Wasseypur was supposed to be between me and Nawaz. The story was between these two characters," Rajkummar recalled. He shared that he and Nawaz even travelled to the real Wasseypur with the film's writer Zeeshan Qadri to prepare for the role. 'Hum log waha rahe kuch time, I was recording people on my voice recorder just to get the accent and to understand the milieu. Bahot maja aaya (We stayed there for some time. I recorded people to understand the dialect. It was a lot of fun)." However, things took a turn when Rajkummar received a call from Anurag while he was shooting patchwork for Ragini MMS. 'He said, 'Sun, script aa gayi hai but abhi tera role usme kuch bacha nahi hai. To tu dekh kya karna hai. I would love to have you in my film but you decide.' I said, 'Sir, mujhe aapke saath kaam karna hai. I don't know kitna bada role hai but jo bhi hai main karunga (I want to work with you no matter how big or small the role is).'" While he chose to stay on board, Rajkummar admitted, 'Of course thoda bura laga tha… Nobody had money. But that was all fine as long as I'm getting work." Despite the initial setback, Rajkummar credits Anurag for recommending him to Hansal Mehta for Shahid, a turning point in his career. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Rajkummar Rao says Gangs of Wasseypur was originally between him and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, felt hurt when Anurag Kashyap told him: ‘Tera role ab kuch bacha nahi hai'
While promoting his upcoming film Maalik, Rajkummar Rao opened up about one of the biggest what-could-have-been moments in his career. In a recent interview, the actor revealed that Gangs of Wasseypur was initially written as a showdown between his character and Nawazuddin Siddiqui 's, until major changes to the script altered the course of his role entirely. 'Wasseypur was supposed to be between me and Nawaz' Rajkummar shared how it was Anurag Kashyap who personally called him for the film. 'At that time, Wasseypur was supposed to be between me and Nawaz. The story was between these two characters,' he told Pinkvilla, recalling his excitement to play a parallel lead in the project. He went on to share that both he and Nawazuddin Siddiqui travelled to the real Wasseypur along with writer Zeeshan Qadri to prep for the roles. 'We stayed there for some time. I was recording people on my voice recorder just to get the accent and to understand the milieu. Bahot maza aaya,' he said. 'Anurag sir told me, 'Tera role ab kuch bacha nahi hai'' Rao then narrated how one day, while he was doing patchwork for Ragini MMS, he received a call from Anurag Kashyap asking him to visit his office. The meeting brought unexpected news. 'He said, 'Sun, script aa gayi hai but abhi tera role usme kuch bacha nahi hai, to tu dekh kya karna hai.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Đây có thể là thời điểm tốt nhất để giao dịch vàng trong 5 năm qua IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo He gave me the choice but said he'd love to have me in the film.' Despite the disappointment, Rajkummar chose to stay on. 'I said, 'Sir, mujhe aapke saath kaam karna hai. I don't know kitna bada role hai but jo bhi hai main karunga,'' he added. 'Baby On The Way': Rajkummar Rao & Patralekhaa Announce Pregnancy With Sweet Post 'Of course, I felt bad' The actor admitted that he was hurt by the change. 'Of course thoda bura laga tha, kyunki mujhe pata nahi tha ki kitna kata hai. We all are humans. Mujhe thoda bura to laga tha ki yaar hum log to gaye the train se, 3 din lage the wahan pahuchne me. Nobody had money. But that was all fine as long as I'm getting work.' Rajkummar also credited Kashyap for recommending his name to Hansal Mehta for Shahid, a film that proved to be a major turning point in his career.
Pink Villa
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
EXCLUSIVE: Rajkummar Rao admits feeling bad when Anurag Kashyap reduced his role in Gangs of Wasseypur, ‘Nobody had money…'
Rajkummar Rao is currently on the promotional spree of Maalik. In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, the actor shed light on various phases of his life. He also recalled how Gangs of Wasseypur was originally meant to be a showdown between his and Nawazuddin Siddiqui's character. However, things got changed and his role was reduced to a major extent. Rajkummar Rao recalls how his parallel role in Gangs of Wasseypur was cut Rajkummar Rao reminisced how Anurag Kashyap approached him and offered Gangs of Wasseypur. He said, 'Anurag sir called me for Gangs of Wasseypur. At that time Wasseypur was supposed to be between me and Nawaz (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). The story was between these two characters.' He further added that he was very excited to do a parallel lead in Kashyap's movie. Rao revealed that he and Nawaz even went to real Wasseypur to understand the dialect and accent. 'Me and Nawaz actually went to Wasseypur with the writer, Zeeshan (Zeeshan Qadri) hume leke gaye the kyunki wo wahi se hain. Hum log waha rahe kuch time, I was recording people on my voice recorder just to get the accent and to understand the milieu. Bahot maja aaya.' One day when he was busy with the patchwork of Ragini MMS, he got a call from Anurag Kashyap, who asked Rao to visit his office. 'I met him he said ki sun script aa gayi hai but abhi tera role usme kuch bacha nahi hai, to tu dekh kya karna hai. I would love to have you in my film but you decide. I said, Sir, mujhe aapke saath kaam karna hai. I dont know kitna bada role hai but jo bhi hai main karunga,' added Rajkummar Rao. Further, Rao underlined that Anurag Kashyap had recommended his name to Hansal Mehta for Shahid, which turned out to be a path-breaking film for him. Rajkummar Rao admits feeling bad as his role was chopped from script Though Rajkummar admitted that he felt bad when Kashyap informed him about his reduced screen time. 'Of course thoda bura laga tha, kyunki mujhe pata nahi tha ki kitna (role) kata hai. We all are humans. Mujhe thoda bura to laga tha ki yaar hum log to gaye the train se 3 din lage the wahan pahuchne me, train se wapas bhi aaye the. Nobody had money. But that was all fine as long as I'm getting work,' Rajkummar concluded. (Of course I felt a little bad because I did not know how much (role) is cut. We all are humans. I felt a little bad that we went by train, it took 3 days to reach there, we also came back by train. Nobody had money. But that was all fine as long as I'm getting work.) Rao's next Maalik is releasing in cinemas on July 11th. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
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First Post
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
'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.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Still the same boy from 'Aaja Ve': Rajkummar Rao on his journey since Sona Mohapatra's 2006 song
Rajkummar Rao has fond memories of featuring in Sona Mohapatra 's "Aaja Ve" music video when he was a first-year FTII student. And though he has made a name for himself as a versatile star, the actor says he is still the same boy who was thrilled to be in front of the camera for the first time. The song, released in 2006 as part of Mohapatra's album "Sona", saw Rao making an appearance as a strict school master in a vibrant rural setting only to later shake a leg with his students and fellow villagers. "I'm still the same boy who was in that 'Aaja Ve' song... I made him up like a pansy school teacher. He's a school teacher but I thought kuch to alag karte hain," Rao, 40, told PTI in an interview. And it wasn't just him in the video. Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat, Rao's batchmates from Pune's Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), also appear as a barber and a sadhu, respectively. "(It) has almost all my batchmates. There's Jaideep and Vijay as well. There are a lot of people. The whole class was there because one of our seniors, Deepti, was shooting the video. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo "She said, 'Guys, we are making this video. Do you want to act in it?' All of us got excited because we were just first-year students. We were like. 'Yeah, sure!'" Rao recalled. The actor said it was pure fun to be working with his batchmates. "There were 20 of us in the class and it was just fun, just being with your classmates and shooting," he added. After graduating from FTII, Rao got his break in movies with Dibakar Banerjee's anthology movie "Love Sex Aur Dhokha" in 2010, followed by appearances in movies such as "Ragini MMS", "Shaitan", "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Talaash". People eventually took note of him with Hansal Mehta's 2012's "Shahid", which also won him a best actor National Award. Since then, the actor has built a storied filmography of critically-acclaimed and commercially-successful titles such as "Aligarh", "Bareilly Ki Barfi", "Trapped", "Newton", "Badhaai Do", and the "Stree" film franchise. Reflecting on his evolution as an artiste, Rao said he has naturally grown as a performer. "I've certainly matured because you also live those many years. There's certain maturity that comes with age and you have those many years of experience with you. As a person, nothing has changed. I'm not counting materialistic things because they don't matter," he said. The actor's next movie is romantic comedy " Bhool Chuk Maaf ", co-starring Wamiqa Gabbi. Set in Varanasi, the film features Rao as Ranjan, a man eagerly awaiting his wedding day with his girlfriend Titli (Gabbi). However, he finds himself stuck in a time loop, waking up every day on the morning of his haldi ceremony. "It's very well written, very funny. Also it's emotional where it has to be. It's a right mix of a good story with a lot of comedy and values," said the actor, adding that his favourite time-loop movie is Hollywood star Bill Murray's 1993 film "Groundhog Day". If he were stuck in a time loop where he could watch a movie on repeat, the actor said he would go for something lighthearted and comedic. "I think 'Jaane Bhi Do Na Yaaro' can be that one film," he added. Asked if he believes that in acting, giving multiple takes for a scene is akin to being stuck in a time loop, Rao said his endeavour is to do something new with every shot. "First of all, we are not someone who gives like 30 retakes. We also haven't worked with those makers who take 30 retakes. It's like two-three retakes sometimes. But then also, my process is that I can do something different in my second or third take, maybe try a new thing altogether. I try not to keep it monotonous. "Also, it's our job to treat it like it's the first take, even on a 30th take. The whole point is that this is happening for the first time, so it doesn't become a loop," he added. In some of his best roles, Rao has played the everyday man to perfection, highlighting their struggles as well as joy with authenticity. "I don't do anything consciously to portray it that way. But I take it with a lot of gratitude. It's a great feeling if people relate to my characters or to me or to my journey. They think that I'm one of their own, which is true. I am certainly one of them," he said, adding that he is also trying to break that image by doing varied kinds of movies. "I keep doing films like 'Srikanth' or 'Maalik'. I'm talking about the last two-three years, where I have played different personalities altogether. It is about a character, which is something that people would not expect in a way, that he would come do something like this. And I like doing that," he said. "Maalik", which will release in theatres in July, is Rao's first action movie. "It's a cool film. It's my foray into the action genre and (has) raw action. I had a lot of fun. I have seen most of the film and I think people will really like it. It's a very new me, people would not imagine me doing all this." "Bhool Chuk Maaf", directed by Karan Sharma and produced by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films , was set to be released in theatres on Friday. The film will now release directly on streaming service Prime Video on May 16 in light of "recent events and the heightened security drills across the nation", according to the makers. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . And don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
