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Actor Gajraj Rao, who broke out with a parallel lead role in the hit film Badhaai Ho, spoke about competition in the film industry for middle-aged performers. He said that he would be bothered about being ignored by high-profile filmmakers such as Karan Johar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, but something that his wife told him a few years ago struck a chord. He said that he no longer feels the same frustration, and is happy being the tortoise in the race of life. Gajraj Rao made his debut in Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen several decades ago, but gained mainstream appreciation only after Badhaai Ho.
In an interview with Fever FM, he said, “I’ve always tried to avoid the rat race and too much competition. I’m happy being a tortoise, I don’t want to be a rabbit. I don’t like the hassle. A couple of years ago, I came to a realisation. I would really try and approach the big filmmakers, directors like Karan Johar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rohit Shetty. I wanted to work with them and I was frustrated about being overlooked. My wife told me something very interesting. She told me, ‘You aren’t even on their radar. You aren’t on Karan Johar’s radar. His world is made up of other people. You should consider the filmmakers who want to work with you as your own Karan Johar and Bhansali’.”
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He said that it was a moment of ‘enlightenment’ for him. “I had held on to the hope of working with Karan and Bhansali for so long, and it was eating me up from inside. I would try and convey messages to them, and they couldn’t get back to me, for whatever reason. Hitesh Bhatia is my Rohit Shetty. Sonam Nair is my Bhansali. It’s not that I no longer want to work with Bhansali, but it’ll happen when it has to happen. I’m not too bothered about it any more, my khatarnak urge to work with them has died,” he said.
Gajraj Rao can currently be seen in the Prime Video series Dupahiya, co-starring Renuka Shahane, and in the Netflix series Dabba Cartel. He admitted that there aren’t too many actors for filmmakers to choose from in his age group, but because of his newfound perspective, he isn’t too concerned about competition. Last year, he was seen in the films Maidaan, Bad Newz, and Yudhra.
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