Rajkummar Rao on Maalik: ‘I don’t want to limit myself; want to play at least one role every year that surprises fans’

Actor Rajkumar Rao said on Wednesday that he focuses on originality while acting and tries to avoid being inspired by old films to play any character. Rao had come to Indore to promote his action thriller Maalik, scheduled for theatrical release on July 11. The film stars Rao, alongside Prosenjit Chatterjee and Manushi Chhillar.

Asked if he was inspired by old films to play an action role, Rao told reporters, “Honestly, when I am shooting for a film, I try not to watch any particular kind of old film at that time (for inspiration). I want every character that I play to be completely original and emerge from my imagination and the story of the film”.

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He said the originality of his performance would be lost if he allowed subconscious thought to try to repeat a good scene from an old film.

Known for experimenting, Rao said, “As an actor, I don’t want to limit myself to one role. I want to play at least one character every year that surprises you and makes you think that you did not expect this kind of performance from me.”