Rajkummar Rao answers if he’s charging Rs 5 crore after massive Stree 2 success: ‘I am not stupid to burden my producers’

“I grew up in an extended family and every weekend, we watched a film or two on VHS. Soon I wanted to be a part of this world and started acting in school plays,” reminisces the “filmi” kid who moved to theatre in college, joined the FTII and finally landed in the City of Dreams. “I shared a small flat with two classmates. Mumbai was a frightfully expensive city, particularly for someone who had not seen much money growing up. But I was completely focused on becoming an actor and set out every day to give as many auditions as possible,” he reminisces.

A few of them were for LSD: Love Sex Aur Dhokha. “When I learnt that Dibakar Bannerjee was looking for newcomers for India’s first digital film, I started hounding his office. I was finally called for an audition and eventually got that long-awaited call congratulating me for bagging one of the leads,” he recounts.

Anurag Kashyap saw the film, cast him in Gangs of Wasseypur, then strongly recommended him to Hansal Mehta for Shahid, endorsed by the equally enthusiastic casting director Mukesh Chhabra. “I had no idea who Shahid was, I just knew Hansal sir was making a biopic, and having seen his earlier films, I wanted to work with him. I was hungry for work, but he was not keen on a newcomer and avoided me for days. Finally, he exasperatedly told Mukesh to send me across and was informed I was standing right below his office,” Raj chuckles. They connected instantly and Hansal, a father figure now, told him later that it was the hunger in his face which made him decide to make Shahid with him.

Raj spent hours chatting with Shahid’s brother Khalid and watching trials in real courts with Hansal. On the first day of shoot, when he walked out, he was the assassinated lawyer and human rights activist and assured his director that he could put me in any situation and he’d talk and behave like Shahid. The film won him a National Award for Best Actor while Hansal was adjudged Best Director.

They have since collaborated on CityLights, Aligarh, Omerta, Chhalaang and the OTT series Bose: Dead/ Alive. “There’s nothing concrete on the cards, but we will do something soon because we miss working together,” says Raj, who’s been shooting 16 hours a day for an action film, Malik, with Pulkit, the director of Bose: Dead/Alive. “With everyone offering so much on social media, the audience is looking for something unique when they come to the theatre. It cannot be formula anymore,” he asserts.

One such out-of-the-box film is Stree 2, which has done better business than the original. Raj’s “Bicky pleaj” has become a cult dialogue. Ask about its genesis and he informs the simple imploration was always there in the script. “I just delivered it differently and now it’s a trump line to cajole a friend or a partner into doing something,” laughs the boy who grew up watching Ramsey films like Veerana and Purani Haveli and today, with the Stree franchise and Roohi, is a part of a horror universe today. The journey of chills started in 2011, he reminds you, with another found-footage film, Ragini MMS. “My character, Uday, is as scared as anyone would be in real life when he realises the house is haunted. I enjoy imitating life.”

Films like Ragini MMS, Queen, Badhaai Do, Mr & Mrs Mahi and Stree underline that Raj, confident in his talent, can let the spotlight shine on his leading lady. “Stree is as much about the boys as the village rakshak and Vicky’s mysterious girlfriend, but Queen was Kangana’s (Ranaut) film and for Rani to win, Vijay had to fail, right?” quips the actor who admittedly comes from a patriarchal, North Indian family, but has always been unfailingly polite, respectful and courteous with women even in real life. He credits this mother for instilling this sense of gender equality in him. “She was a fighter, many of my friends and extended family did not believe I could become an actor, but she had immense faith in me and would urge me to keep going during my struggling days. Whatever I am today is because of her blessings,” Raj insists.

He is equally emotional about the other beautiful woman in his life, Patralekha, whom he started dating in 2010 and married in 2021. “She’s an independent girl and being from the North-East, knows her fashion game. She not only taught me English, but also helped with my shopping and styling. Earlier, I wasn’t bothered about what I was wearing, now I realise an actor must look good too,” laughs Raj, who’s started looking very dapper and at home in brands. “But comfort still scores over fashion.”

Meanwhile, buzz is, after Stree 2, he’s upped his fee to Rs 5 crore. “I read different figures every day,” he guffaws. “I’m not stupid to burden my producers. Being a part of the biggest blockbuster is not going to change me as an actor, money is just a byproduct of my passion. I want to work all my life so I keep looking for roles that surprise me, excite me, challenge and help me grow.”