You reduce him to a single scene, give him a one line dialogue but still he will be spectacular. That's Rajkummar Rao, the scene-stealer. Ever since the release of his first movie Love, Sex Aur Dhokha in 2010, the FTII passed out actor has amazed us with his remarkable acting skills. He belongs to that new generation of Bollywood actors where look hardly holds any significance. Be it Kai Po Che, Shahid, Citylights or Aligarh, we have only seen Rao growinng better with his every movie. When we look through his career, it won't be difficult to realise why this actor won National Award within three years of his career.
Born in Gurgaon in 1984, the actor developed his profound love for acting and hence chose to do theatre with Shri Ram Cente, Delhi. After graduating from renowned Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 2008, the 33-year-old actor began spending time visiting offices of casting directors. It was 2010 when he landed on Dibakar Banerjee's Love Sex aur Dhokha. The actor changed his name from Rajkumar Yadav to Rajkummar Rao after the release of Shahid.
Sans any brand name or godfather, the actor has made it to the top position in Hindi cinema on his own terms. After garnering critical reviews for LCD, Ragini MMS and Shaitan, Rao did small roles in Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2, Chittagong and Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, before Abhishek Kapoor gave him the big break with Kai Po Che. However, it was 2013 release Hansal Mehta's Shahid that marked the entry of a phenomenol star in Hindi film industry. The biographical drama on lawyer Shahid Azmi's life who was shot dead in 2010 in Mumbai earned him National Film Award for Best Actor. Till now, Rajkummar has worked thrice with National Award winning director Hansal Mehta, namely Aligarh, Shahid, Citylights and all three raised the acting skill of Rao a notch higher. The duo is gearing up for another disturbing watch Omertà which was screened at 2017 Toronto International Film Festival besides a web series on freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.
Known for portraying identifiable roles on screen, Rao's next-door boy image is his strength. His not-so-hero like appearance makes viewers empathise with his character. Rao has never confined himself to a particular type of movies or roles. He maintained the balance between commercial movies and offbeat cinemas. You see him doing movies like Shahid, Trapped, etc and at the same time, he also makes appearance in typical Bollywood masala films such as Queen, Dolly Ki Doli, etc. From a romantic hero dancing to the peppy track to a miserable rural man, Rao aces in every role with his acting finesse.
Before we stop admiring him in Bareilly Ki Barfi, he bewitches us with his look in Alt Balaji's web series Bose: Dead or Alive and as Newton Kumar in Amit V Masurkar's flick. Newton is now India's official pick for 2018 Oscars and Rao is thrilled along with the entire team. The actor has abundant projects in pipeline ranging from Omertà based on the life of terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to 5 Weddings opposite Nargis Fakhri. While you are still planning to watch Newton, still from Omertà is out and has left many dumbfound.
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