IMAGE: Rajkummar Rao in Ludo.
Rajkummar Rao had two releases in 2020 — Ludo and Chhalaang — and both have been well received.
The next year will see Rao give us a bouquet of films, including Badhaai Do, Chupke Chupke and HIT.
“I am looking forward to the release of The White Tiger, my first international film,” Rajkummar tells Subhash K Jha
How was 2020 for you?
It has been a tough year for all of us.
But it also gave us time to introspect and taught us to value things which we couldn’t earlier.
I went back to reading and attended many online workshops on acting and screenplay writing.
I tried to be as productive as possible but I missed being on a film set.
Are you looking forward to 2021?
I really hope and pray that this pandemic gets over soon and for our lives to go back to normal.
IMAGE: Rajkummar Rao with Director Hansal Mehta and Nushrratt Bharuccha on the sets of Chhalaang. Photograph: Kind courtesy Hansal Mehta/Instagram
You had a very good year at the movies.
I was pretty excited for both Ludo and Chhalaang and am glad that both of them got a proper release on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video respectively.
Both films were well received by our audiences and I got so much of love for both my characters, Aloo and Montu.
You have an equally exciting year ahead.
I am looking forward to the release of The White Tiger, my first international film.
I’ve some exciting new films in the coming year, but most of them were my prior commitments before the lockdown happened.
I feel blessed that I am getting these wonderful opportunities and being a part of amazing stories, like Badhaai Do, Chupke Chupke and HIT.
IMAGE: Rajkummar prepares for Badhaai Do. Photograph: Kind courtesy Rajkummar Rao/Instagram
What is you take on the feud between cinema halls and the OTT platform?
The OTT is a very powerful platform and you can’t deny it.
Cinemas will always be there, but OTT has a very wide reach.
Cinema is a community-viewing experience and the OTT is a personal experience.
I’m just glad that now we have so many opportunities to tell all kinds of stories, be it cinema or on OTT.
IMAGE: Sushant Singh Rajput in Dil Bechara.
Which performances did you enjoy in 2020?
I loved Irrfan sir in Angrezi Medium, Sushant Singh Rajput in Dil Bechara, Jaideep Ahlawat and Swastika Mukherjee in Pataal Lok, Pratik Gandhi in Scam: 1992, Harsh Chhaya in Andekhi, Rasika Duggal, Divyendu Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal in Mirzapur 2 Amit Sadh in Breathe 2.
On the international front, I loved Mark Ruffalo in I Know This Much Is True.
These are the performances which really inspired me this year.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Rajkummar Rao/Instagram
Your thoughts for the coming year?
I will be busy finishing my commitments and hopefully, this pandemic won’t be there in 2021.
