Rajkummar Rao: Tags come and go overnight, I always wanted to be an actor, script is the real star

Things are changing rapidly in today’s time. The pandemic put the entertainment industry on hold for a long time and now while the shoots have resumed in bits and pieces after the second wave subsided, theatres continue to remain shut. In such a scenario, even the whole star culture seems to have been disrupted, with films making a beeline for OTT releases and box office no longer being the parameter.

The distinction, therefore, between ‘actors’ and ‘stars’ seems to have disappeared. Ask Rajkummar Rao, who has had two direct to OTT releases last year — Ludo and Chhalaang, about these tags, and he says some things will never change.

“Stars, I don’t know... but I know for a fact that our superstars will always be there. They’ve been here for so many decades and the love and adulation they’ve seen, I don’t think our generation will ever experience that. I love them, too,” he continues, “But, the way our cinema has seen this gradual shift, for me, the script is the real star. I’m just happy with the fact that we’re investing a lot of time in writing.”

When content does all the talking and the web especially has made it only about that, does the era of stars seem to be over?

“I guess these tags can come and go overnight, but to sustain them is the most difficult task. Our audience decides who they want to call a star or not,” says Rao, 36, who was also a part of the Oscar-nominated web film, The White Tiger that released earlier this year.

Talking particularly about himself and his journey in Bollywood, he adds, “In my case, I always wanted to be an actor and that’s why I got formal training in acting as I wanted to come prepared before coming to Mumbai. I’m here for a marathon and not a sprint. I just want to keep acting and playing different exciting characters all my life, rest everything is a by-product.”

In sync with this, the actor had stepped out in the middle of the pandemic and wrapped up the shoot for his upcoming film Badhaai Do. “It’s actually not a sequel, we’re taking the [Badhaai Ho, 2019] franchise forward. It’s a beautiful story and one of the most amazing teams I’ve worked with. I can’t wait for everyone to watch our beautiful film,” he signs off.