Rajkummar Rao on his Bollywood journey: Didn't come here to chase fame or money

Looking back at his decadelong career Shahid and Stree star Rajkummar Rao says his journey in Bollywood has been surreal and rewarding but not without its share of challenges The actor said his late mothers faith in him kept him going even on days when he had nothing when he moved to Mumbai from Gurgaon to chase his childhood dreamRao started his career with Dibakar Banerjees Love Sex Aur Dhokha 10 years ago and soon earned acclaim for his performances in films like Kai Po Che Aligarh and NewtonIn an interview with PTI the National awardwinning actor spoke about completing a successful decade in the film industryThe initial two years when I was looking for work it was extremely tough There were days when there was no money to buy food But my mother gave me that confidence had this unshakable trust in meI would call back home and they would send me money so that I could have food on my table the actor told PTIRao 36 a Film and Television Institute of India FTII graduate said it was only after Banerjees foundfootage drama in 2010 that things started moving forward for himBut even when he was struggling the thought of putting his acting ambitions on hold didnt cross Raos mindI never thought of giving up of going back and doing something else I never came with a planB This is what I wanted to do ever since I was a kid Things started moving post LSD and since then the journey has been goodWhen I look back it feels surreal I never expected this to happen to do all these wonderful films and roles I didnt come to this city chasing fame or money I am in films because I really love it he addedIt isnt that when his success streak started there were no setbacksAfter consecutive hits from 2017 comedy Bareilly Ki Barfi National Awardwinning black comedydrama Newton to the 2018 horror comedy Stree Rao saw a failure with his big 2019 Diwali release Made in ChinaRao said despite the films failure he is proud of the project as he looks at failures only as temporaryI am proud of the film There are those films as well which I think I couldve avoided but thats alright What Ive realised is you cant be low The key is to get up and move on to the next oneUp next Rao will be seen in director Harshvardhan Kulkarnis Badhaai Do costarring Bhumi Pednekar Backed by Junglee Pictures the film is a sequel to the 2018 National Awardwinning hit Badhaai HoThe actor who plays a cop in the film said the movie is not exactly a sequelBadhaai Do continues the spirit of the first filmmdashwhich chronicled the story of a middleage couple facing unexpected pregnancymdashand aims to deliver a timely message in an engaging mannerIts a different world with new characters but our producers are the same Im extremely happy the way it has shaped up Harshwardhan is a director to look out for Bhumi and I had such a gala time making the film with him The audience will see me in a new light with this oneWhat we are trying to say with the film is important but we are saying it in an entertaining manner Its the kind of film youd laugh while watching but also take back home something from it he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever