Actor Rajkummar Rao feels with the kind of pace the cinema is changing, “the definition of a so-called hero is also changing”
In an interview, Rajkummar also said he was happy and content with the way his film journey was shaping up for the last few years.
On his upcoming releases, he said: “Fanney Khan is my second release of the year 2018 after Omerta and Stree is next, for which I am equally excited. After that, I have Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga.
“So I am very happy the way it’s going and the way my film journey is shaping up. It’s a humble beginning for the year and I just wish this year also brings same amount of happiness and work satisfaction for me like last year.”
On the response to the Fanney Khan trailer, Rajkummar said: “I am really happy with the overwhelming response to the trailer. I have always been a big fan of Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. It’s a really sweet film made by a great team and I am playing a very beautiful character in it.
“People are praising the character of Anil Kapoor Sir in the film, and the chemistry between Aishwarya Rai and me is also being appreciated.”
After the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra directorial, Anil and Rajkummar will share screen space in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga.
“People are saying there is a new couple in town in the form of both of us and I am completely okay with it. I have no problem with that,” he quipped.
Rajkummar has just returned from a London shooting schedule of Mental Hai Kya, which also stars Kangana Ranaut.
“We are on the verge of finishing the shooting of Mental Hai Kya as we have completed the London schedule of that film. It has been a really nice experience shooting the film. We all are excited about it, including me, Ekta Kapoor and Kangana because it’s a wonderful script. Since the narration of this film, I was game for it.”
On working with Kangana, with whom he has earlier worked with in Queen, Rajkummar said: “It is a lot of fun working with her. We know each other from many years. Queen was a game changer for her and it is one of my most popular films. We are really good friends.
“We discuss a lot on set about enacting every scene in a better manner.”
Rajkummar says that he doesn’t understand the term quintessential hero in Hindi films.
At the trailer launch of Stree along with co-actors Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee, director Amar Kaushik, film distributor Anil Thadani, music composer Sachin-Jigar and producers Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K and Dinesh Vijan.
Asked whether he ultimately feels like a hero of Hindi films as he has featured in a number of successful films and won prestigious awards, Rajkummar said, “I don’t know how a hero feels honestly. I feel like an actor and I wanted to be an actor. I always wanted to feel like an actor and I don’t understand the term quintessential hero of Hindi films.”
“There are people who approach me for a film telling me that it’s a typical hero film but I always tell them that rather telling me it’s a hero film, tell me about name and characteristics of that character. What is hero? We are not heroes…heroes are people who are fighting for us on borders. We are just doing our job that’s it,” he added.
Rajkummar is known as the face of real Hindi cinema after his critically acclaimed performances in Citylights, Shahid and Newton.
Asked whether he feels the definition of a Hindi film hero has changed in the last few years, he said, “I totally agree with that because with the kind of pace cinema is changing, I feel the definition of a so-called hero is also changing.
“Therefore, we all see that an actor like Aamir Khan Sir plays the character of a 50-year-old father in Dangal. There is an action genre where you have to do stunts and show your body…then, you might call it as ‘hero’ film.”
Sharing his experience shooting for Stree, the actor said, “It’s an unusual film where we had so much fun shooting for it. The entire team of this film was living like a family in Chanderi and Bhopal. It’s a small town, but we had no complaints as we were just focusing on making a good film.”
“We all are really proud of this film and now I hope the audience will give a lot of support and laugh that this film totally deserves,” he added.
Stree is a horror comedy written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. It is directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K. and Dinesh Vijan under the banner of Maddock Films.
The film also stars Shraddha Kapoor in a lead role and is scheduled to release on August 31.
Meanwhile, Mouni Roy, who is set to play Rajkummar’s wife in the upcoming film Made in China, and the actress of Naagin fame says he is a tremendous actor.
“I think Rajkummar is a tremendous actor and I have always looked up to his work. I can’t wait to start working with him. I am even more ecstatic to be a part of Maddock Films,” Mouni said.
Made in China will start rolling in September in Mumbai and then travel to Gujarat and China. The film will be directed by Gujarati director Mikhil Musale.
This is Rajkummar’s second collaboration with Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films after Stree.
“We wanted someone who’d connect with the heartland and Mouni, a typical Indian beauty, has a huge fan following. She has a strong personality but gentle eyes and is a good dancer,” Vijan said.
“She has started working on her Gujarati dialect. Rajkummar will start preparing soon and knowing the chameleon that he is, I’m sure he’ll quickly get under the skin of the character,” he added. — IANS