“I don’t want to do a smaller film just because I haven’t done one in a while,” he said. “I always look for good, exciting stories. A story has to do something within me for me to say yes to it.”
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Rajkummar Rao, known for his powerful performances in critically acclaimed films like ‘Shahid’, ‘Aligarh’, and ‘Trapped’, has reflected on how his film choices have evolved over the years, particularly after the 2018 box office hit ‘Stree’.
Speaking in a recent interview with ANI, the actor admitted that the kind of independent, content-heavy films he was once known for aren’t coming his way as often anymore.
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“Of course, as an actor, I love doing those kinds of films,” Rajkummar said, referring to stories like ‘Trapped’. “I would still love to do them, but to be honest, those kinds of stories are not reaching me lately.”
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His candid reflection points to a larger shift in the actor’s career, one that has veered more toward commercially driven films post-‘Stree’. The horror-comedy, which surprised everyone with its success, seems to have opened new doors. But perhaps at the cost of the more offbeat cinema that first put him on the map.
Still, Rao is clear that it’s not about chasing nostalgia. He’s not looking to do small-budget films just to “tick a box.”
“I don’t want to do a smaller film just because I haven’t done one in a while,” he said. “I always look for good, exciting stories. A story has to do something within me for me to say yes to it.”
Importantly, Rao emphasized that a film’s budget doesn’t factor into his decisions. “I never see the budget. For me, it’s always the story, the director, and the producer, these three things matter the most,” he added.
Up next, Rajkummar Rao will appear in ‘Maalik’, a gangster drama that also stars Manushi Chhillar and Prosenjit Chatterjee. Directed by Pulkit, the film is scheduled for release on July 11 and promises a mix of action and intense character drama.
While Rajkummar continues his search for strong storytelling, co-star Manushi Chhillar is still in the early stages of carving her path in the film industry. The former Miss World 2017, who made her debut with ‘Samrat Prithviraj’, considers herself very much a newcomer.
“I pretty much started from scratch when I came to films,” Manushi told ANI. “I still feel my career started three years ago, because that’s when my first film was released. And that’s how I see myself, I see myself as a newcomer.”
Though not many details have been revealed about the ‘Maalik’ plot, her role appears to carry emotional weight and importance to the story’s arc.
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