“Kai Po Che” meaning “I have cut” introduced us to an actor who had caliber unparalleled. You would like me to name Sushant Singh Rajput but character of Govind played by RajKummar Rao have caused few eyebrows to be raised. Not because of the work he did but because of the way he made the portrayal so real but yet did not out shined the other actors in the movie. I think that was a deliberate attempt by him to make the story look real and characters close to life.
Then came Shahid which might not have done well commercially but Raj Kummar Rao had made a genuine effort to show us the pain and agony of the character he was playing. As soon as people have started type casting him in parallel cinema came Queen which not only changed his perception as an actor but also made him the boy who everyone loved to hate. The things that made him different was the way he carry common man roles with such ease and would own them.
His characters would change with the story and would have the shades of grey as well. Be it his role in CityLights or Aligarh which were pole apart but had the same strength and substance. In this new genre of actor where everyone wants to play a hero image , here is one actor who would not bother about that. He is one actor who had changed the way we think about actors and their role in hindi cinema. He would not have a build like a Hrithik or a Tiger but he will play every character with 100 percent commitment and that is what we see on screen as well.
The movie that actually prompted me to write this article was “Bareily ki Barfi” , no its not Newton. I have not seen that yet and started writing this way before the Newton Oscar news hit the market. So I was talking about Bareily ki Barfi , A movie about Ashuman Khurana and Kirti Sanan , they were the two center characters in the movie but as soon as Raj Kummar Rao enters the silver screen you cant but only watch him.
This was a performance like the one you would hope from someone who would take the limelight from kangana in Queen if just for a short span of time. He was a supporting cast in Bareily ki Barfi but if you take Raj Kummar Rao out of picture , you would have just another love story , it was him who added spice to it and had out shined others around him.
Newton might be his biggest movie as it is nominated for an Oscar but what he did for the new generation of actors is what is commendable , he has shown them a way to make a mark and not just in way you look or if you have a six pack abs but by sheer commitment and acting skills. The skills that should be core of film industry but is only limited to few new generation of actors like him.
May be we see him in next Sanjay Leela Bhansali film and wonder if this man can do a Rana Pratap or a Devdas with the same commitment and dedication !!!!!
