RAJKUMMAR RAO

I am very happy for the kind of response I am getting for my work, but there was a lot of hard work that has gone into it.

People will invest in you only if they see some kind of return, and that's the dark truth.

I am the same person who came to this city Mumbai a few years ago to act in Hindi films, and I am just continuing doing that. I did not change as a person. All that happens is people change around me.

No, nothing much has changed in me as an actor. Since the day I started out, I always wanted to be part of good stories. The only thing that has changed is now I have options of good stories to choose from.

What I believe is to keep working. How a film performs at the box office is not in my control: what is in my control is my work, how much honesty I can bring on-screen. I am happy people love me.

'Newton' is a very Indian film. I think, after a long time, people will see an Indian film in its true form. As in the story, the character, it is set in the heartland of India, but it's purely like how there was a time when Hrishikesh Mukherjee used to make sweet Indian films.

It's amazing how you get to recreate somebody else's life on-screen. It's wonderful when you get responses like, 'You actually look like him.'

My only job is to act and play the character truthfully and honestly.

The only thing that I know is that if I like a particular script, I want to be as honest to my character as possible. That's the only thing I can control. I have made a lot of decisions on an impulse, and I am going to continue that.

I have immense respect for Nitesh sir and really admire his work. He's one of my closest friends in the industry, with whom I can have a heart-to-heart chat.

'Stree' is something fresh and new. Audiences want to see different kind of content on-screen, and 'Stree' is exactly that. It is a unique genre - horror-comedy - which has not been explored much in our country.

In 'Stree', I had a great time working with the whole team and Dinu, being the producer and one of the most important people. And now we are doing another film together, and I'm sure there will be a couple of more films in the future.

I have always taken risks. I like doing films which are different.

I did not even know there are so many options for girls to wear. Playing a tailor gave me quite some knowledge about girls' clothing.

I don't know the reason why someone would not speak up about sexual harassment. I don't know why it doesn't happen here, but I am sure it exists not only in our industry, but every industry, it is there.

I don't take pressure. I can't really work under pressure. I do one film at a time, and I try to live in that character and in the moment. I am not a futuristic person who thinks what is going to happen after five years. And I don't live in the past.

Whenever I like a character or a script, I take up the project and leave the rest to the audience.

I knew that I was just one of those actors who came to Mumbai to achieve their dreams. I knew that nobody would welcome me with open arms and auditions were the only way to get a chance.

Filmmaking is teamwork.

People are falling in love with characters now, and that is why writers are creating such stories. I am really happy that such stories are getting prominence.

I was a very outgoing guy. I loved roaming around, hanging out with friends. From class 5th, I practised and learnt martial arts for about 7-8 years and have won medals at the national level. Then I trained in dancing on stage. In class 10th, I acted in my first play, and that's when I realised I wanted to become an actor.

I take my work very seriously, but I don't take myself seriously.

My process of choosing scripts remains the same. Of whatever I read and whatever excites me is what I will continue to take up.

We're just actors, man, just part of things. We're just doing our jobs, like everyone else does their jobs. The adulation for us is much more because we are always in the public eye. But I never became an actor because I wanted people to scream out my name.

I never signed 'NH 10' officially. I was supposed to do it. Then it got delayed. Then I moved on to other films like 'Kai Po Che' and 'Shahid.'