Introduction
Rajkummar Rao, as he was earlier known as Rajkumar Yadav is an Indian film actor who is known for his appearance and dramatic excellence in films. He has been successful in establishing his career and identity in Hindi cinema. Rajkummar Rao is the recipient of several laurels not only at the national level but at the international level as well. Rajkummar Rao has been honored with a National Film Award, three Filmfare Awards, an Asia Pacific Screen Award, Asia Rising Star Award, DadasahebPhalke Excellence Awards, and other such divine honors. Rajkummar Rao graduated from Delhi University and pursued an acting course at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He graduated from this institute in 2008. Post his acting course, Rajkummar Rao moved to Mumbai to turn his dream of being an actor into reality.
He spent his next year on multiple visits to studios and meeting the casting directors. It was in the year 2010, when Dibakar Banerjee was looking for newcomers, that Rao got his first debut film. Rajkummar Rao made his first appearance on the big screen with the experimental anthology film Love, Sex Aur Dhokha (2010). Apart from his keen interest in the world of films, Rajkummar Rao inherits a great interest in books and is an avid reader. His favorite authors are Saadat Hasan Manto, Ayn Rand, and Walter Isaacson.
Early Life
Rajkumar Rao was brought up in a middle-class joint family. His father served as a government employee in the revenue department. Rajkummar Rao shared a strong bond with his mother, Late Kamlesh Yadav, who passed away while Rao was shooting for his movie Newton. He has two siblings, a brother, and a sister. Rajkummar Rao completed his basic education at Siddheshwar Mandir School and later from Blue Bells Model School, Gurgaon. As a kid, he received training in martial arts and is also a national-level gold medallist in Taekwondo. Rajkummar Rao graduated in arts from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, University of Delhi. While in college, Rao actively participated in stage shows. He also did theatre at Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts and Kshitij Repertory, Delhi. Rajkummar Rao was inspired by Shah Rukh Khan to undertake acting. Rao states, “If an outsider could make it as big as him, then maybe there was hope for me.”
Acting Career
Rajkummar Rao’snine glorious years in the film industry have earned a special place in the hearts of the audience. His effortless and influential on-screen appearance in various roles has been quite impressive. Rajkummar Rao has not restricted himself to a single genre but has been experimental with his choice of roles. He has worked in different genres which include: drama, biographical dramas, romantic comedy, black comedy, horror comedy, and romantic comedy-drama.
Rajkummar Rao has always justified with roles assigned to him. He makes the character come alive with his flawless acting. Whether he appeared as a supporting actor or as a lead actor, Rao has always been a delight to the eyes. Rajkummar Rao has convincingly portrayed the roles of a freedom fighter, news reporter, terrorist, villain, junior officer, and other impactful roles. Rajkummar Rao shares a good camaraderie with producers Ekta Kapoor and Dinesh Vijan and with director Hansal Mehta. In 2017, Rao got a chance to play the role of Subhash Chandra Bose in the Ekta Kapoor-Hansal Mehta web series Bose – Dead or Alive. Thereby, broadening his screen space and reaching the audience via social media.
Filmography
Rajkummar Rao is known for adding the required essence to the character and giving recognition to even the small roles amongst the main leads. Some of his well-acclaimed films include Shahid (2013), Aligarh (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Newton (2017), and Stree (2018). His role in Shahid earned him a National Film Award for Best Actor and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. For his outstanding performance in the film Bareilly Ki Barfi, Rajkummar Rao was awarded Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Rajkummar Rao's Stree movie became the highest-grossing film. For his performance, Rao even received the Screen Award for Best Actor.
