Senior actor Gajraj Rao has almost three decades of experience in the Hindi film industry but his breakthrough moment came in his 50s with the 2018 released film ‘Badhaai Do’. The 51-year-old's performance as Jitendra "Jeetu" Kaushik in a comedy-drama film got him instant fame and awards too.
In an interview with Outlook, the actor, who is now gearing up for his Teleplay debut with Zee Theatre’s ‘Gunehgaar’, agrees that his acting journey took a u-turn after 'Badhaai Ho'. “That is absolutely true. When I look back at my acting career before and after 'Badhaai Ho', there is a shift,” he says and added that he never complained about not getting big parts earlier. “I was at least being offered interesting parts, be it Dawood Phanse in 'Black Friday', Inspector Dhaniram in 'Talvar' or Chawla in 'Blackmail'.”
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However, for him, post the success of 'Badhaai Ho', he came on the radar of writers and directors and they began to feel that he could shoulder pivotal parts. “I feel happy when I am told today that a role was written especially for me. Earlier I was happy to just work with friends like Vishal Bhardwaj and Anurag Kashyap but now I am able to choose from a wide variety of roles and that is a very fulfilling feeling,” he says.
For someone who made his acting debut in 1994 with Shekhar Kapur's ‘Bandit Queen’ and went on to become parts of movies like 'Talvar', 'Blackmail', and web series like TVF'S F.A.T.H.E.R.S, Gajraj Rao says that he has no regrets of receiving recognition much later in his journey.
“A very dear friend of mine always says that if life has blessed you substantially, you should not have any regrets about missed opportunities. I can say that from the time my career began with theatre, I have had no reason to complain. For sure, there were parts that I wanted to play and there was that little pang in the heart but I have never felt acute frustration or dejection,” he says.
The senior actor says that after 'Badhaai Ho', everything has changed for the better. “There are countless actors who could have played the part of Jitendra Kaushik in 'Badhaai Ho' very well but I was very fortunate that Amit Sharma chose me. Today when I look back, I feel no negativity that I got such an opportunity after turning fifty. At least I got it. There are so many gifted actors who didn't,” he says.
The senior actor has been equally vocal about his struggles but he didn't mean to convey a sense of desperation or acute penury when he remembers those days.
“Apart from being an actor, I also founded Code Red Films, an advertising production house with my partner in 2004. That took care of my household expenses but yes, before this, there was a phase when I had to take on different jobs to support my family. I worked in garment exports, tailoring, and stationery shops but the people I met during this time enriched my understanding and experience of life and till date, I borrow their traits when I am playing different characters,” he says.
In ‘Gunehgaar’, a taut crime drama, he plays the role of Trilok Bansal. The Akarsh Khurana directorial also has Shweta Basu Prasad and Sumeet Vyas playing pivotal roles. “In the initial years of my career, I have been a part of a lot of crime-centric themes. There was Bandit Queen in 1994, the crime series 'Bhanwar' where I not only acted but also wrote episodes. There was 'Black Friday' in 2004, 'Aamir' in 2008, 'Talvar' in 2015 but then there was a long gap and a new phase of slice-of-life, humorous dramas started with 'Badhaai Ho' and 'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan.'
“As I had initiated my career with crime-based stories, I wasn't really interested in such themes any more but when Gunehgaar's script came to me, I finished it in a single reading and the interesting way in which its plot unfolded, really caught my imagination. Just reading the story was such a thrilling experience and as an actor, I didn't want to miss the opportunity of being a part of it,” says the actor who plays the role of Trilok Bansal in it. Shweta Basu Prasad and Sumeet Vyas are also part of the project.
Gajraj says that he always wanted to work with Akarsh Khurana who is a renowned theatre director. “His entire family is connected with theatre including his father, Akash Khurana, his mother as well as his brother. I have seen their work on stage and I had also requested Akarsh many times to offer me an interesting part in one of his plays as I used to be active in theatre over 25-30 years ago in Delhi.
“A few months ago Akarsh called me and said, "Gajraj ji, there is an interesting part in a psychological thriller. This is a teleplay that will be shot on camera. Even though it is not a stage show, its format and feel will be that of theatre." I instantly liked the idea of experimenting with something new and because I had seen many teleplays on Zee Theatre, I said a wholehearted 'yes' to 'Gunehgaar.'”
Gajraj says the sensibilities of the audience have changed since the 90s. “They no longer watch content with blinkers on,” he says and adds that” Since the advent of OTT and exposure to stories from around the world, the makers have had to also evolve beyond formula-based narratives, cardboard characters, and stereotypes.”
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The senior actor feels that there is also less pressure about striking gold every Friday because of which filmmakers used to add item numbers and other superfluous elements to films. “There is more emphasis on telling non-formulaic stories because of which actors like me are getting more work,” he says.
So what next after this?
“I am working with Madhuri Dixit, on a very interesting film 'Maja Ma', for an OTT platform that will be released on October 6. I am also working in my 'Badhaai Ho' director Amit Sharma's latest film 'Maidaan' where the key role is being played by Ajay Devgn. The film is produced by Boney Kapoor, Akash Chawla, and Joysen Gupta,” he sums up.
