Rajkummar Rao, the confident outsider

Rajkummar Rao and Kangana Ranaut in a still from Queen.

Rajkummar was not always at the centre of the camera, he started out as one of the ‘supporting cast member’ that helped push the narrative forward. A leading star or not, the actor has since the beginning of his career managed to grab considerable attention with his skills. In Aamir Khan starrer Talaash, Raj played a cop who only wanted to earnestly perform his duties. In Gangs of Wasseypur 2, he was Shamshad Alam — a smalltime Bihari goon.

In 2014, he played Vijay in Queen, a man who undergoes a transformation post his stay in a foreign city and completely disregards his lover. In 2016, he was the enthusiastic reporter of Aligarh who matched up to the versatile Manoj Bajpayee with considerable ease. Rajkummar’s willingness to experiment and play the field has been his biggest weapon in surviving as well as flourishing in show business.

Rajkummar Rao and Aamir Khan in a still from Talaash.

In fact, even after years of experience, he was not scared to play the apparent second fiddle to Ayushmann Khurrana in the 2017 hit Bareilly ki Barfi. He shone as the sari seller Pritam Vidrohi who could be both meek and menacing.

Rajkummar Rao’s filmography proves that he is confident in his abilities to regale viewers, even if it means they will not see him on screen constantly. A trait he will hopefully continue to exhibit in future as well.