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News18
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Rajkummar Rao Unfazed By Invasive Pap Culture Despite Being ‘Followed': ‘They're Really Sweet'
Last Updated: Rajkummar Rao says that he isn't an introvert but a fiercely 'private' person and states that he doesn't believe in sharing moments from his personal life on social media. Bollywood's growing displeasure with the paparazzi culture is no secret. Earlier, a bunch of female actors came forth to share their discomfort about being clicked from behind and zoomed in despite their hesitation. Recently, Kajol also criticised photographers for invading an actor's personal space and spoke about how she finds it disturbing to be followed. Varun Dhawan too called them out for covering celebrity deaths with no empathy and sensitivity. Now, speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, Rajkummar says that though he remains a private person, he remains unfazed with the paparazzi following him out and about in the city. 'That constant attention is very recent. It started a few years back. It wasn't always like this. When I'm not working, I spend most of my time at home with people who I love and adore. It's only when I step out that you see my pictures. But to be honest, our paparazzi are very sweet and really understanding," he tells us. While he gives in to their requests sometimes, Rajkummar asserts that he doesn't like public glare on moments from his personal life. 'They now know my car number and sometimes follow me. They sometimes catch me in the moment to get some pictures clicked. But apart from that, I live my life very privately. I don't feel the need to talk about what I'm doing every moment. I only use Instagram and that too, to mostly share my work and the things in my life that are important. I'm not someone to put up an Instagram story every hour or day," he shares. However, he's quick to point out that he's no introvert. 'If I've to be social and outgoing, I can be that around my people. I don't need too many people to talk to. But my preference would be to have like-minded people around me so that we can have either some really intense conversations or do some really random things and have stupid talks." And it's this ambivalence that has led him to 'never struggle with shedding inhibitions' before the camera. 'I feel the most comfortable between action and cut. That's where I come alive the most," he remarks. And this inner silence is perhaps why method acting doesn't deter him. Years ago, he isolated himself and limited interactions with people to slip under the skin of his character in Vikramaditya Motwane's Trapped. And he's ready to do it all over again if a film requires him to do so. Additionally, every time he retreats into a shell as part of prep work, he has his wife Patralekhaa to thank for 'understanding his process'. 'I would love to do it again when time allows and the character gives me that opportunity. That, for me, is the best thing about being an actor. I'm very glad that Patralekhaa's also an actor and she totally gets my process. But I'm not somebody who takes my characters back home. When I come back home to her, I'm Raj and I'm exactly how she knows me as," says the Bhool Chuk Maaf and Stree actor. First Published: July 10, 2025, 04:49 IST 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
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘I won't do it just to do it': Rajkummar Rao on missing parallel cinema scripts
Actor Rajkummar Rao addressed the decline of parallel cinema in his recent filmography, stating it's not intentional. Citing films like Shahid, Newton, and Trapped, he said he still loves doing such roles, but those stories aren't reaching him now. Rao emphasized he chooses projects based on the story, director, and producer not budget. He revealed he's reuniting with Trapped director Vikramaditya Motwane for Dada, a Sourav Ganguly biopic, reflecting his evolving artistic choices. Show more Show less
India Gazette
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Gazette
"Those kinds of stories are not reaching me": Rajkummar Rao on lack of parallel cinema films post 'Stree' success
By Palash Srivastava New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): Actor Rajkummar Rao has acknowledged a decline in parallel/art cinema movies in his career since the success of Stree (2018). Rao is considered to be one of the bankable stars of India today. With critically acclaimed performances in 'Shahid', 'Aligarh' and 'Trapped', the actor quickly made a name for himself as an artist who could maintain a balance between art-driven films and mainstream cinema. But post the success of 'Stree', the horror-comedy that became a surprise hit at the box office, Rao's filmography took a noticeable commercial turn. In an interview with ANI, the actor admitted that the parallel cinema films like 'Trapped' have stopped 'reaching him' lately. 'Of course, as an actor, I love doing it ( movie like 'Trapped'), I would still love to do it, but those kinds of stories are not reaching me, to be honest,' said Rajkummar Rao. However, it's not that the actor has turned his back on independent cinema. The 'Stree' actor said that he doesn't prefer to desperately chase the low-budget films just for the sake of nostalgia. 'I don't want to do it just for the sake of it. I should do a smaller film just because I haven't done it in a while. I always look for good, exciting stories, and a story has to do something within me for me to say yes to it,' said Rajkummar Rao. The actor shared his thought process before selecting the film and said that it is based on three factors. A film's 'budget' is not one of them, he added. 'I never see the budget of the film, how big is this film. For me, it's the story, the director, and the producer; these three things are the only things that matter to me while saying yes to it,' added Rajkummar. The actor will be next seen in the film 'Maalik', which also stars Manushi Chillar and Prosenjit Chatterjee in the lead roles. The movie is a gangster drama directed by Pulkit. It will be the first movie for Manushi in 2025. Before this, she had worked in films like 'Samrat Prithviraj', 'The Great Indian Family', 'Operation Valentine' and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'. Manushi Chillar first garnered headlines after she won the Miss World beauty pageant in 2017. With this accolade, the actress has now joined the list of Indian actresses who have ventured into Bollywood after making their name at beauty pageants. While talking to ANI, Manushi opened up about her decision to enter the Bollywood industry and not continue fashion modelling after winning the Miss World in 2017 at the age of 20 years. 'I don't think my goal was ever to become a supermodel. Hence, probably, I never thought about it. I was studying to be a doctor. I went into pageantry, and Miss World was a big dream, which came true. When you're at 20, when you have a platform like that, then you want to see what's next and you want to build a career,' said Manushi The actress calls herself a 'newcomer' as she started her film career three years ago with Akshay Kumar's 'Samrat Prithviraj'. 'I pretty much started from scratch when I came to films, and I am building. I still feel my career started three years ago, because that's when my first film was released. And that's how I see myself. I see myself as a newcomer there,' said Manushi Chillar. Manushi is playing the character of Shalini, wife of Shahid Kapoor, in the movie. As for Prosenjit Chatterjee, he is playing the character of a cop in the film. The movie is set to release in theatres on July 11. (ANI)
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
"Those kinds of stories are not reaching me": Rajkummar Rao on lack of parallel cinema films post 'Stree' success
Actor has acknowledged a decline in parallel/art cinema movies in his career since the success of Stree (2018). Rao is considered to be one of the bankable stars of India today. With critically acclaimed performances in 'Shahid', 'Aligarh' and 'Trapped', the actor quickly made a name for himself as an artist who could maintain a balance between art-driven films and mainstream cinema. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But post the success of 'Stree', the horror-comedy that became a surprise hit at the box office, Rao's filmography took a noticeable commercial turn. In an interview with ANI, the actor admitted that the parallel cinema films like 'Trapped' have stopped "reaching him" lately. "Of course, as an actor, I love doing it ( movie like 'Trapped'), I would still love to do it, but those kinds of stories are not reaching me, to be honest," said Rajkummar Rao. However, it's not that the actor has turned his back on independent cinema. The 'Stree' actor said that he doesn't prefer to desperately chase the low-budget films just for the sake of nostalgia. "I don't want to do it just for the sake of it. I should do a smaller film just because I haven't done it in a while. I always look for good, exciting stories, and a story has to do something within me for me to say yes to it," said Rajkummar Rao. The actor shared his thought process before selecting the film and said that it is based on three factors. A film's "budget" is not one of them, he added. "I never see the budget of the film, how big is this film. For me, it's the story, the director, and the producer; these three things are the only things that matter to me while saying yes to it," added Rajkummar. The actor will be next seen in the film 'Maalik', which also stars and in the lead roles. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The movie is a gangster drama directed by Pulkit. It will be the first movie for Manushi in 2025. Before this, she had worked in films like 'Samrat Prithviraj', 'The Great Indian Family', 'Operation Valentine' and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'. Manushi Chillar first garnered headlines after she won the Miss World beauty pageant in 2017. With this accolade, the actress has now joined the list of Indian actresses who have ventured into Bollywood after making their name at beauty pageants. While talking to ANI, Manushi opened up about her decision to enter the Bollywood industry and not continue fashion modelling after winning the Miss World in 2017 at the age of 20 years. "I don't think my goal was ever to become a supermodel. Hence, probably, I never thought about it. I was studying to be a doctor. I went into pageantry, and Miss World was a big dream, which came true. When you're at 20, when you have a platform like that, then you want to see what's next and you want to build a career," said Manushi The actress calls herself a "newcomer" as she started her film career three years ago with Akshay Kumar's 'Samrat Prithviraj'. "I pretty much started from scratch when I came to films, and I am building. I still feel my career started three years ago, because that's when my first film was released. And that's how I see myself. I see myself as a newcomer there," said Manushi Chillar. Manushi is playing the character of Shalini, wife of Shahid Kapoor, in the movie. As for Prosenjit Chatterjee, he is playing the character of a cop in the film. The movie is set to release in theatres on July 11.
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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.
