Rajkummar Rao today stands among the rare Bollywood actors whose name alone convinces big producers to bankroll a large film without hesitation, and whose entry on screen is often met with applause and whistles inside theatres. He is counted among the most dependable and versatile actors in the industry today. But reaching this point cost him a great deal, and long before the applause, he once had to pay Rs 10,000 just to try and land a single role, only to walk away with no work at all in return.
The Manoj Bajpayee moment that sparked the acting dream
Rajkummar Rao decided he wanted to become an actor after watching Manoj Bajpayee perform on screen. He felt that he too wanted to build his career in acting, just the way Manoj Bajpayee had, and that thought is what brought him to Bollywood to try his luck. In his early days in the industry, though, he ran into struggles so difficult and so unbelievable that even today they are hard for people to accept.
A cycle ride from Gurugram to Delhi, then a Rs 10,000 scam
Rajkummar Rao shared this story himself on The Kapil Sharma Show. He said that getting his very first film was the toughest task of his entire career. He once spotted an advertisement for a show that was being made for a major TV channel, and to make it to the audition for that show, he cycled all the way from Gurugram to Delhi. While he was there, some people told him that if he wanted the job, he would first have to pay them Rs 10,000. Desperate to fulfil his dream of becoming an actor, Rajkummar Rao arranged the money and paid it to them. But when he went back to the same spot afterwards, he found that there was no one there at all. It was only then that he realised he had been cheated out of his money by people who never had any acting job to offer in the first place.
Career began in 2010, recognition came step by step
Rajkummar Rao eventually made his film debut in the year 2010 with the film Love Sex Aur Dhokha. After that debut, he went on to play small roles in films such as Gangs of Wasseypur 2 and Talaash. However, his real recognition in the industry came only with films like Kai Po Che and Shahid. After that breakthrough, films such as Queen, Trapped, Stree and Newton went on to turn Rajkummar Rao into one of the biggest stars in the industry. Along this journey, he has also won a National Award for his acting.
Next up, the lead role in Sourav Ganguly's biopic
Rajkummar Rao will soon be seen playing the lead role in the biopic on Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, titled Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story. His long journey from being cheated of Rs 10,000 on the streets of Delhi to becoming one of Bollywood's most bankable stars shows how far hard work, patience and passion can carry a person, even through the toughest and most humiliating of circumstances.
