Bollywood is always known for its variety of films, starting from the common commercial movies to the cult classic ones, there is no room left untouched in case of films. If all this is taken into consideration, actor Rajkummar Rao is literally the torch-bearer of cult movies, while the director and choreographer Farah Khan is just an epitome of another genre.
On a note, we might believe that they both have come from the same film industry, but, the journeys of the both are quite different. So when such personalities with diverse backgrounds are made to sit together and discuss films, the conversation is bound to be interesting. The duo has recently participated in a show called Tape Cast for Film Companion where the two had a discussion on a wide range of topics concerning the film industry including nepotism, rumors, ambition, and rejections.
Amidst all the questions, there came a question which was about Rao dealing with the rejections he had to face because his skin complexion was not fair enough for certain roles, Rajkummar says, “I didn’t use Fair and Lovely. I was very proud of my skin color. I am an actor. I am not here to sell my fairness. I used to laugh, actually. I found those people so ignorant. So regressive. They are still stuck in that era – hero Matlab Gora Chitta, 6 foot.”
Next, to that, Rao revealed that he wanted to play a Parsi in a film but was rejected for not being fair enough. It is then Farah cuts him short and says, “But you have to look like a Parsi, no?” Rajkumar then immediately comes up with a reply and tells the Happy New Year director that Naseeruddin Shah had played a Parsi in Pestonjee.
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“He has a Parsi nose. He looks exactly Parsi and behaves Parsi also,” Farah replies back. Then Rao responded, “But I can look Parsi na. Don’t you think I can play Parsi?.
But at the same time, she asserts, “But sometimes it is also to do with how you look. If you are playing an African-American, you can’t play it.” Following that, Rao cited the example of Robert Downey Jr. who played an an African-American in the 2008 film Tropic Thunder, adding that “acting has no limits.”
The discussion doesn’t end here and Farah once again comes up with a counter and asks Rajkummar, “Terko Nepali ka role denge toh?” To this, he told the director that Aamir has played a Nepali in a soft drink ad, to which she finally gives up and says, “This guy has an answer for everything.”
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