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Rajkummar Rao: “If I have to face rejection again, I am ready for it”

With a successful run of films recently, Rajkummar Rao is certainly on a new level. However, having been through his own struggles in getting here, he know extremely well that he’ll still need to work as hard as he can, and he isn’t afraid of getting rejected.

“If I have to face rejection again, I am ready for it. Even if I don’t have work for the next two years, I know that I have enough to sustain myself. For me, acting was never about the money. If I am not working in films, I will do something in a similar zone — like short films, or theatre… as long as I don’t stop acting. In the beginning of my career, I have faced rejection and I have heard strange excuses from people.” Times of India report the actor stating.

He went on to express, “I’ve been told that I am not muscular, not fair enough and that my eyebrows look different in close-ups. That was the most bizarre thing that I have ever heard. I have read a lot of biographies of personalities like Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan and I know that most of them have faced rejection. I always knew that no one would be waiting for me in the industry with open arms, saying, ‘Raj, we were waiting to cast you in our film’. I was sure I had to struggle for work, but irrespective of whether it would take two or 10 years, I had made up my mind that I won’t leave Mumbai.”

Being certain that he has found his calling, Rao seems to be determined to remain head-strong, focused and will always remember who believed in him right from the start. “I won’t say that there is a sense of victory, but if they approach me, with due respect, I will politely tell them that I won’t be able to do it. It is not because I have a personal problem with them, but I have a problem with their mindset. They couldn’t see any potential in me back then, but there were others who took a leap of faith and I will always respect them,” the actor explained.

Rao will soon be seen sharing the screen with Shraddha Kapoor, in a light -hearted comedy-thriller; a genre which will be a first in the Indian film industry. Talking of Bollywood investing in different types of stories, the actor revealed, “Now is the time to experiment and it is great to see that people are backing such stories. We can’t just play around with conventional ideas and say, ‘This is what sells, so let’s keep making it’. I would request everyone to experiment with their stories, writing and acting. It’s so exciting to witness this phase, not just as an actor, but as a movie lover. I think we can also make good sex comedies, but we are not doing that. I guess, somewhere, we are scared of the Censor Board, and people’s reaction to such subjects. I think sex comedies can be mature and intelligently made; ‘Delhi Belly’ “(2011) is one such example.”

Directed by Amar Kaushik, the Rao-Kapoor starrer has been titled ‘Stree’.