There were days where I’d call my friends asking to share their meal: Rajkummar Rao

Actor Rajkummar Rao might have played the leading man in quite a few films now —  including Shahid (2013), Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana (2017), Trapped (2017), Newton (2017), Omerta (2018), among others — but there was a time when he would make only Rs10,000 per month and even had to ask his friends to share meals on some occasions. He made a living by playing inconsequential roles in television commercials that mostly went unnoticed.

Rajkummar wrote about his struggles in a post on the Facebook page of Humans Of Bombay that shares the stories of inspirational and relatable individuals. Last week, actor Anil Kapoor, too, had shared his journey through the page.

Born in Gurgaon, Haryana, Rajkummar came to Mumbai in the pursuit of becoming an actor. However, getting roles was a tough job. “I made about Rs10,000 a month — but still, there were days where I didn’t have money, and I’d call my friends asking to share their meal,” he shared.

The Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) actor would try to convince casting directors to give him bigger roles but was always turned down. “I didn’t let any of it demotivate me — I believed that someone would see my talent,” Rajkummar added.

According to the actor, his big break came with Dibaker Banerjee’s LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha (2010) and described the moment when he was informed that he had bagged the film: “I did around 3-4 tests. A week went by and I hadn’t heard back – and finally it happened...everything I had worked for culminated in that one moment. I was alone at home, when I got the most important call of my life. The words were, ‘Ho gaya hai. You got the film.’ I fell to my knees, called my mother.”

Not many know that Rajkummar was inspired by the success of Shah Rukh Khan and considered him an idol. “Growing up, I was fascinated with Shah Rukh Sir — I used to stare at his posters and often think that if an outsider could make it as big as him, then maybe there was hope for me,” he shared.

He also wrote about the day he first met Khan, and says even though he was very new in the industry, Khan was well aware about his work. “I didn’t think he’d know me, but, he called me to his trailer – he knew my entire bio! He made me feel so special. I was already a fan, but that day I was probably his biggest. I was nervous and in awe throughout. I once spoke to his posters...and now there he was, in front of me. How can I even explain what that felt like?” exclaimed Rajkummar.

The actor chose to end the post with an ironical observation — the casting directors and filmmakers who had previously rejected him are, today, offering him lead roles. “Remember, no matter what anyone else says, no one is going to believe in you, the way YOU do – so hustle, and let the Universe do the rest,” he wrote.