Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao is basking in the success of his latest film Srikanth. The movie, directed by Tushar Hiranandani, is based on the life of Srikanth Bolla, a blind industrialist. Rajkummar’s performance is being praised, and the film is doing well at the box office. Reflecting on his past, Rajkummar recently recalled his early days in Mumbai after moving from his hometown of Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon). He mentioned that Mumbai initially seemed expensive compared to his humble background, but he developed a strong affection for the city.
“When I was growing up, Gurgaon was not such a big city (as it is today). Compared to that, Mumbai was very expensive for me initially, especially since I hailed from a very humble background. The cultural difference was also very evident. But this is where I had to stay, and I always had immense love for Mumbai,” he said during an interview with We Are Yuvaa.
Rajkummar recalled how came to Mumbai right after finishing his 10th grade to audition for Boogie Woogie. He remembered, “Right after I completed Class 10, I came to Mumbai to give an audition for Boogie Woogie (a dance competition TV series). I just wanted to visit Mumbai, see the city, and maybe Shah Rukh Khan’s house too. I was 16 at that time. Along with my 12-year-old cousin, I came to the city on a train. Since neither of us had any money, we borrowed Rs 5,000 from an aunt. My family was very supportive, and they were fine with two kids travelling all the way to Mumbai alone. It took three days for us to reach Mumbai. But once here, I was mesmerised by the city.”
Even though he didn’t get selected after auditioning for Boogie Woogie, Rajkummar fondly recalled his first visit to Mumbai, which included spending the whole day waiting outside Shah Rukh Khan’s house. “On the last night, we stayed at the railway station itself and ate just vada pav because we were out of money by then. We were here for two days. We used to reach Mannat at 10 am and wait till 4-5 pm, hoping that we would see him,” he said.
Remembering the first time he met Shah Rukh Khan in person, Rajkummar shared that the Badshah of Bollywood is one of the reasons he became an actor. He was inspired by his journey, especially since he’s also from Delhi, an outsider, and has a theater background. “But meeting him was so surreal. We were promoting CityLights (2014) at that time. I got to know that he was shooting in Mehboob Studio. Though I wanted to meet him, I was scared initially. I messaged Shakun (Batra) who was there for an advertisement. Then, he got back and said that he (SRK) was calling me. I immediately started prepping up to introduce myself and tell him my name’s Rajkummar Rao and that I am an actor who studied in FTII. But he knew everything about me! He knew I had received a National Award for Shahid, that Kai Po Che was good, and that Citylights was coming soon. I was just sitting there like how he was in Om Shanti Om with ‘Aayi Aisi Raat Hai Jo’ playing in my head,” he added.
Rajkummar Rao will be next seen in Mr and Mrs Mahi.
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