Rajkummar Rao has proved to be one of the finest actors the country has produced in the decade that has gone. The performer, who turns a year older on August 31, put himself on the map by playing character roles in critically acclaimed movies. He proved his mettle in acting by immersing himself in prep to essay fictional as well as non-fictional personalities par excellence.
As the actor turns 36, here are five times when Rao’s on-screen presence was remarkable during his early years:
Kai Po Che! (2013)
Despite being one of the three protagonists, Rao managed to stand out in the film through his sequences. The buddy drama was based on Chetan Bhagat’s 2008 novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life. Rao as Govind aka Govi who is tutor to his best friend’s sister but falls in love with her was a heart winner. His beautiful performance earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Shahid (2013)
This film is not demanding for any explanation. Shahid gave Rao’s career graph a striking leap. He collaborated with Hansal Mehta to essay the role of late lawyer Shahid Azmi. Rao. He underwent a lot of prep to so the character justice and even felt emotionally drained. Rao’s triumphant delivery with a controlled amount of anguish and charisma was largely received positively. He was honoured with the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.
CityLights (2014)
In his second collaboration with Hansal Mehta, Rao played a young man who undergoes challenges of shifting to a big city. The story follows the difficulties faced by a poor farmer family who migrated in search of livelihood. Patralekha Paul was Rao’s on-screen wife who also accompanies her husband through all the hardships. The film and the actors’ performance was praised by critics.
Aligarh (2015)
One of the most underrated off beat films of the decade, Aligarh was all about Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao’s stellar skills put to great use. Hansal Mehta’s directorial was a sensitive, nuanced tale that stands for human rights of homosexuals especially in the Indian culture with a distilled perspective depicting in a touching yet powerful manner. The film received a standing ovation at its world premiere at the 20th Busan International Film Festival. Rao was incredible as the inquisitive journalist and was also nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Trapped (2016)
Rao was stunning in this Vikramaditya Motwane directed survival drama. The story is about a young man Shaurya who accidently locks himself without food, water and electricity for days inside a high rise in Mumbai that was still under construction. According to Rao, the role was one of his most challenging works to date. From eating cockroaches out of starvation to talking to a rat for company to writing the word ‘help’ with his blood, Rao’s desperate attempts to escape gave the audience goosebumps. He even lost an extreme amount of weight to accurately depict the character’s misery. Rao won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.
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