Learn How to Crack Bollywood with Rajkummar Rao Story
Rajkummar Rao is a famous Indian actor and became an 'A' List star despite being an outsider. But this was not easy! Read how he handled struggle and rose.
Killing Nepotism with Performance: Story of Rajkummar Rao
Rajkummar Rao is an Indian actor known for his acting skills in Bollywood movies and short films. In today's cinematic world, it is very hard to find a person as talented as Rajkumar Rao. Starting his career in Mumbai, Rajkumar Rao has come far from where he began as an actor. He is appreciated for many Bollywood movies like Kai Po Che, Shahid, Queen, Bareilly ki barfi, Stree, and many more.
Occupation - Actor
Date of Birth - 31st August 1984
Age - 36
HomeTown - Gurgaon, Haryana
Rajkummar Rao Story: Life before acting
Unlike most of the high school children, who didn't know what to do, Rajkummar Rao was very keen on theatre and acting. He was so passionate about acting that he used to travel from Gurgaon to Delhi to participate in plays. Let's see how Rajkummar Rao developed an interest in acting and how his life used to look before he became an actor.
Rajkummar Rao Childhood
Rao was born in Prem Nagar, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, and, being the youngest, was loved by everyone in the family. He had two older siblings and cousins in the extended family. Unfortunately, his parents died at a very early age. His mother died in 2017, and his father died in 2019.
Extra ‘M’ in Rajkummar
Born 31st August 1984, the actor has earned a handful of awards. When asked about that extra 'm' in his name, he says it is because of his mother, a firm believer in astrology and numerology. She convinced him to keep that 'm' for his success. Since his first debut in 2010 in Love, Sex Aur Dhoka he has been rising and getting better.
Rajkummar Rao Education
He did his schooling at Blue Bells Model School, Gurgaon. He used to participate in many plays, and that is where his career started. He graduated from the Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College (University of Delhi). Besides studying, Rajkummar Rao was also doing theatre with Kshitij Repertory and Shri Ram Centre in Delhi.
After college Rajkummar Rao decided to pursue his career as an actor and got into the Film and Television Institute of India in 2008 for two years. When asked about his motivation behind choosing acting as a career, he said he was "highly influenced" by Manoj Bajpayee's acting and decided to follow in his footsteps.
2010 After studying acting for two years in Pune, Rao moved to Mumbai to pursue his acting career. Struggling for another 1 year and meeting casting directors, he got a small role of a newsreader in the movie Rann (2010). After that, he got a role in Dibakar Banerjee's movie 'Love, Sex Aur Dhoka' (2010), as Dibakar was looking for freshers for the role. The role got him huge recognition in the industry and was beneficial for his career.
2011 – 2012 After Love, Sex Aur Dhoka, Rao was offered a lead role in the movie 'Ragini MMS' (2011) by Ekta Kapoor. After this, he got the role of a slimy police officer in the film 'Shaitan' (2011), for which he was appreciated a lot. In 2012, Anurag Kashyap, who liked his performance in Love, Sex Aur Dhoka, cast him in his movie, 'Gangs of Wasseypur- part 2' (2012). The film was a financial hit. And at the end of 2012, he played the role of a cop in a suspense thriller, 'Talaash: The answer lies within' (2012), which was a huge success.
2013 'Kai Po Che' (2013), a movie based on a novel by Chetan Bhagat, was Rao's next project. Critics appreciated the film, and he was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting role. In 2013, Rao's acting career took its speed when he got the film 'Shahid' (2013). This movie marks his best performance and earned him the National Film Award for Best Actor.
2014 – 2016 Rao has never stopped and has been entertaining us with his skills and charm since then. After Shahid, Rao starred in a supporting role in 'Queen' (2013), 'Citylights' (2014), 'Dolly ki doli' (2015), 'Aligarh' (2015), 'Trapped' (2016), and so on. Rao has won many accolades and awards for his outstanding performance in many films.
2017 – 2018 2017 brought Rajkummar Rao commercial success, and with 'Behen Hogi Teri' (2017) to 'Bareilly ki Barfi' (2017), to Raabta (2017), he never stopped. Next, he starred in 'Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana' (2017) and 'Fanney Khan' (2018). His subsequent financial success was 'Stree' (2018), in which the actor was appreciated a lot for how he holds the character throughout the film.
2019 – 2021 His other works include 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga' (2019), 'Judgemental Hai Kya' (2019), 'Made in China (2019), 'Shimla Mirchi' (2020), 'Ludo' (2020), 'Chhalaang' (2020), 'The white tiger' (2021) and 'Roohi' (2021). The number of accolades and awards that he has won for his performances is uncountable.
Challenges
In an interview with PINKVILLA, Rajkummar Rao disclosed that when he came to Mumbai in 2008, he faced a lot of nepotism and rejection based on his fitness and looks. But he accepted that he was ready for such challenges and prepared himself in advance for situations like these. He also confessed that he got part in a huge movie (keeping the name confidential) and suddenly was informed that he is no longer a part of it. But he never gave up, and now he is one of the most successful actors in Bollywood.
Hobbies
Rajkummar Rao has been a keen fan of Shahrukh Khan since he was a teenager and mimicks him a lot since then. Apart from acting, he loves:
Reading
Dancing
Travelling
Fun Fact: Rao follows a strict vegetarian diet and does not prefer smoking or drinking.
Lastly
Rao, in an Interview with Dr Vivek Bindra, said that it is possible to achieve anything that you are passionate about. He believes that things work out if you give them enough time and energy. It might take a lot of time and effort, but you will achieve it anyhow. He is an inspiration for many people now and has set an example for the youth of India, that no matter how many times you fail, you have to keep trying and never give up.
Aashi Jain
I've completed my graduation and will be pursuing a master's degree in a couple of months. I've developed an immense interest in the field of content writing and gained experience by interning with companies. I am an ambitious person and look forward to living an independent life.
