Rajkummar Rao shares heartwarming story of his struggles and how Shah Rukh Khan treated him for the first time : Bollywood News

The powerhouse performer Rajkummar Rao has had a phenomenal couple of years. While he made his debut with Love, Sex Aur Dhoka, he began to get recognized after the success of Queen. But, it was only after his game-changing role in Bareilly Ki Barfi, he has finally arrived. With many projects in the pipeline, the actor is getting major leading offers. But, it wasn't always the case. Just recently, Humans of Bombay shared a heartwarming story of his struggles and how his inspiration Shah Rukh Khan treated him for the first time.

Rajkummar Rao shares heartwarming story of his struggles and how Shah Rukh Khan treated him for the first time

In the post, Rajkummar Rao talks about his struggling days and how an outsider like Shah Rukh Khan motivated him to come to Mumbai to work. “Growing up, I was fascinated with Shah Rukh Sir–I used to stare at his posters & think that if an outsider could make it as big as him, then maybe there was hope for me. It wasn’t rosy though–I didn’t get work after I came to Mumbai. I only got small jobs–I’d be like the 10th person standing in a random newspaper ad!I made 8-10k a month–but there were days when I didn’t have money & I’d call my friends saying, ‘Can I come over to eat?’ Giving up wasn’t an option. There was never a plan B. I was constantly on the hunt for auditions–I met with countless ADs & casting directors. They would call me in for small roles & I’d try to convince them to let me audition for the bigger parts–I was turned down. But I wasn’t demotivated. I persistently followed up with Atul Mongia till he finally called me to audition for Love Sex aur Dhokha. A week went by & I hadn’t heard back–that’s when I questioned, ‘Will they call?’ Then it happened...everything I worked for culminated in that one moment. I was at home when I got the most important call of my life. The words were, ‘Ho gaya, you got the film!’ I fell to my knees, cried & called my mom."

Talking about his first meeting with Shah Rukh Khan, he further said, "The movie released & that’s when the doors opened. But I’ll tell you a stand out moment–it was sometime after Queen. I was shooting in Mehboob & heard that Shah Rukh Sir was there too. So I thought this was my chance–maybe I could meet him. I sent a message across–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 & now there he was, in front of me. How can I even explain what that felt like?"

With major roles coming his way, the actor is still doing the work he came to do in Mumbai. "What’s ironic is, that the people who in the beginning weren’t interested in me for a lead role–today offer me films. I’m the same actor, the same person, but now I’m offered the roles. I’ve believed in my craft, even when things weren’t going well. I just knew–I put it out in the Universe & attracted it. Remember, no matter what anyone says, no one will believe in you, the way YOU do–so hustle & let the Universe do the rest," he added.

On the work front, Rajkummar Rao was recently seen in Fanney Khan with Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He will now be seen with Shraddha Kapoor in Stree which is releasing on his birthday August 31. Besides this, he will soon begin shooting for Made In China with Mouni Roy.

“Growing up, I was fascinated with Shah Rukh Sir–I used to stare at his posters & think that if an outsider could make it as big as him, then maybe there was hope for me. It wasn’t rosy though–I didn’t get work after I came to Mumbai. I only got small jobs–I’d be like the 10th person standing in a random newspaper ad! I made 8-10k a month–but there were days when I didn’t have money & I’d call my friends saying, ‘Can I come over to eat?’ Giving up wasn’t an option. There was never a plan B. I was constantly on the hunt for auditions–I met with countless ADs & casting directors. They would call me in for small roles & I’d try to convince them to let me audition for the bigger parts–I was turned down. But I wasn’t demotivated. I persistently followed up with Atul Mongia till he finally called me to audition for Love Sex aur Dhokha. A week went by & I hadn’t heard back–that’s when I questioned, ‘Will they call?’ Then it happened...everything I worked for culminated in that one moment. I was at home when I got the most important call of my life. The words were, ‘Ho gaya, you got the film!’ I fell to my knees, cried & called my mom. The movie released & that’s when the doors opened. But I’ll tell you a stand out moment–it was sometime after Queen. I was shooting in Mehboob & heard that Shah Rukh Sir was there too. So I thought this was my chance–maybe I could meet him. I sent a message across–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 & now there he was, in front of me. How can I even explain what that felt like? What’s ironic is, that the people who in the beginning weren’t interested in me for a lead role–today offer me films. I’m the same actor, the same person, but now I’m offered the roles. I’ve believed in my craft, even when things weren’t going well. I just knew–I put it out in the Universe & attracted it. Remember, no matter what anyone says, no one will believe in you, the way YOU do–so hustle & let the Universe do the rest.”
A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on Aug 7, 2018 at 5:48am PDT