Bollywood's New Daddy

While his acting career might have kicked off a tad late, Gajraj Rao is definitely making his mark in web shows and in feature films, mostly as a cool father figure, but more importantly, as a talented acting powerhouse.

- Jigar Shah

It has exactly been a year since actor Gajraj Rao waltzed his way into the heart of Bollywood fans with his winning performance as Jitendra Kaushik in Badhaai Ho last year. Since then, he has been a part of so many conversations across platforms that one feels he has been a part of the industry for a long time. In fact, he has been working in films for decades. Some of his past films include names like Black Friday, Talvar and Rangoon. But it was only last year when everyone began asking him, ‘Where have you been all these years?’

Dressed in a blue ensemble and a blue cap, we sit down at his club to look back at the year gone by and the way forward. The actor has recently returned from Varanasi where he was shooting for his next film Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. One of the major changes he has noticed in the last year is the way in which writers, directors, and producers are approaching him. He explains, “Earlier I wasn't in the scheme of things of people except for the likes of Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bharadwaj, Shoojit Sircar, and Anand Tiwari, who have seen some of my past work. And now a narration is specially arranged for me. It’s a very surreal experience. I used to see these things happening around me in the past, but I never questioned why this isn't happening with me. I’m a big believer in destiny.” He also adds, “I’m a reluctant actor, I have limitations…I don't consider myself a brilliant actor, I’m not saying this in humility, coming from theatre you know what you can pull off and what you can't. I don't have the charm of a hero.”