Rajkummar Rao on the importance of stardom

A graduate from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, Rajkummar Rao made his debut in Bollywood with his prop role Love Sex Aur Dhoka in 2010. In the next few years, he dedicated himself to roles in Shaitan, Aligarh, Kai Po Che, Shahid, and Stree. So what is his take on stardom? When asked if he gives importance to stardom he said, “I don’t give it (importance). I am very happy because I get a lot of love whenever I go anywhere now. That love is irreplaceable. A lot of gratitude for that. Apart from that when I am on sets or at home, I don’t think of anything else. I will just be myself. I am a very normal guy and leading a very normal life. I am just doing my job and nothing else.”

Looking back on his past, he says: “My struggle started in Delhi. I hail from Gurgaon and I used to travel in really crowded buses or sometimes cycle from Gurgaon to Mandi House to do theatre. My struggle started from there. When I landed in Bombay for two years, there were a lot of struggles. I would meet a lot of people and face a lot of rejection. It wasn’t really an easy route.” Today, Rajkummar has carved a niche for himself in just nine years and labeled a Rs 100-crore actor-star. The actor believes in doing good work and is happy that he gets to live his dream. He hopes to get some more time for his personal life but is glad for accepting people in his life who understand his goals.