From his debut in Love Sex or Dhokha to his recent release Dolly Ki Doli, Rajkummar Rao has wowed audiences with his versatile roles and noteworthy acting. The actor talks about his role and chemistry with his co-stars in the romantic comedy.

Having done a fair bit of small budget – high concept films and commercial films, how do you plan to maintain a balance between the two?

I don’t know if there will be a balance or not but as an actor I want to explore all kinds of films, not one specific genre. I want to do love stories, play characters like the one in CityLights or biopics like Shahid. I want to do everything. 

Pulkit (Samrat) and Varun (Sharma) knew each other since Fukrey. Tell us about your camaraderie with them in Dolly Ki Doli?

Pulkit and I don’t share much screen time together but we had a great time shooting. We had combined workshops before the shooting started, so there was an instant connect. And the chemistry was not just amongst the three of us but with Sonam as well. The bonding between all of us was great and it got transferred on screen.

Did Sonam’s fashionista tag intimidate you at all?

Her fashionista tag didn’t intimidate me. I can only be intimidated by someone’s performance and Sonam is very good in this film so I did get a little intimidated.

Sonam mentioned that everyone on the set was far more talented than her. Do you agree with her?

She is just being generous. She is very good in this film and it’s one of her best works till date. 

rajkumar-rao

Dolly Ki Doli was shot in a number of locations. Was it challenging?

We had a smooth ride making this film, as our production team was capable of handling all the challenges. I had to learn the Haryanvi accent for my character in the film. There is a lot of energy and intimidation that he (the character) speaks with unlike my characters in Shahid and CityLights where the performance was more internal and very draining. This film wasn’t draining, in fact it was a fun part to play. 

You were one of the few people from the FTII acting batches to have made it this far. Do you believe there is a lot of talent out there waiting to be explored?

Absolutely. I believe there is a lot of talent in our country. In Mumbai itself there are a lot of actors who are so talented. The right moment has to come for them and I am sure they will sparkle. 

Would you like to comment on Patralekha winning the most promising debut award?

I am the happiest person on the planet. Off course I wanted her to win all the awards but the moment they announced her name, it made me really happy to see her happy.  

– Priyanka Jain