Rajkummar Rao

Rajkummar Rao was born as Raj Kumar Yadav in Gurugram, India.[5]He completed his 12th standard from Sidheshwar public school gurugram and he graduated from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College,(Delhi University) and was simultaneously doing theatre with Kshitij Repertory and Shri Ram Centre in Delhi.[6] In 2008, Rajkummar graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and shifted to Mumbai for a film career.[7] Rao cites Shah Rukh Khan as his inspiration to act: "If an outsider could make it as big as him, then maybe there was hope for me."[8]

After graduating from FTII, Rao spent 2009 visiting studios and meeting casting directors. After responding to an ad that mentioned Dibakar Banerjee was looking for newcomers for his film Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010),[7][9] he auditioned for the film and was finalised. The film consisted of newcomers and three stories, with Rao appearing in the second story opposite Nushrat Bharucha and Neha Chauhan, playing Adarsh, a supermarket supervisor who is in love with Chauhan's character. However, the film failed at the box office, collecting a total of ₹97.5 million (US$1.4 million).

Rao at the success party of his film Queen in 2014

The following year, Rao played the main antagonist in Pawan Kriplani's directorial debut Ragini MMS (2011), opposite Kainaz Motivala. His next film release was Bejoy Nambiar's crime thriller Shaitan (2011), in which he portrayed a slimy cop.[10] Both his 2011 releases were failures, but his performance in the latter was positively reviewed, with Raja Sen of Rediff.com writing that his performance was "reliably terrific".

In 2012, Rao played supporting roles in three films, the first of which was Anurag Kashyap's crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2, a follow-up to Kashyap's crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 which was also released in 2012. In preparation for his role as a businessman, Rao visited Wasseypur to perfect his character and accent. Upon release, the film received positive reactions from critics. With a gross revenue of over ₹960 million (US$13 million), it was Rao's first commercial success. Next, he played Junior officer Devrath Kulkarni in Reema Kagti's Talaash: The Answer Lies Within.[7] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN commented: "...it takes Rajkumar Rao just one scene – in which he's merely a spectator with a single line of dialogue – to show what a good actor can bring even to a small part."[11]

Rao in 2017

In 2013, he starred in Kai Po Che! and Shahid.[12] Anupama Chopra wrote: "Shahid is Rajkummar Rao's triumph. His Shahid has strength, anguish and a controlled anger, but also real charm. His smile lights up the frame. See Shahid for him."[13] He was awarded with the National Film Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.[14]

In 2014, he portrayed Kangana Ranaut's fiancé in Vikas Bahl's Queen and appeared opposite Patralekha Paul in CityLights.[15] For Queen, Saibal Chatterjee wrote that he brings remarkable restraint to bear upon his interpretation of the disgustingly conservative city slicker who cannot see beyond his nose. Rarely has an object of derision stood his ground with as much firm intent as he does.

Rao's next roles were in Dolly Ki Doli, Hamari Adhuri Kahani, Aligarh, Trapped and Behen Hogi Teri. For Trapped, he lost a weight of 7 kgs through a controlled diet containing one carrot and coffee only and was awarded the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor second time.[16]

For his performances in the 2017 comedy-dramas Bareilly Ki Barfi and Newton, he received various awards. Then, he starred in Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, Omerta, Fanney Khan, Love Sonia and 5 Weddings. He received his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination for playing a tailor in Amar Kaushik's comedy horror Stree which earned over ₹1 billion (US$14 million) domestically to become his biggest success so far.

Rao's appearances continued with his next films Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, Judgementall Hai Kya that earned him another Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor nomination, Made in China and Shimla Mirchi.[17]

He has signed a three film deal with Dharma Productions,[18] and will also appear in Chhalaang opposite Nushrat Bharucha, Roohi Afza opposite Janhvi Kapoor, Ludo opposite Fatima Sana Shaikh, Badhaai Do opposite Bhumi Pednekar and Abhishek Jain's comedy alongside Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal and Dimple Kapadia.

Rajkummar has been in a relationship with actress Patralekha Paul since 2010.[19]

Rao made his television debut in 2017 with the web series Bose: Dead/Alive, that was produced by Ekta Kapoor and Hansal Mehta. In preparation for the role of freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose, he gained 11 kg weight.

Rao won a star screen award for best actor 2018 for Stree. Rao has been the recipient of a National Film Award for Shahid (2014); three Filmfare Awards: two Best Actor (Critics) for Shahid (2013) and Trapped (2017), Best Supporting Actor for Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017); and an Asia Pacific Screen Award for Newton (2017).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rajkummar Rao.

• Rajkummar Rao on IMDb