Rajkummar Rao recalls how he was rejected for his eyebrows, height: ‘What about acting? Voh kisko chahiye?’

was an alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and had moved to Mumbai to become an actor. When asked about his early days and the kind of rejections he faced, Rao said, “I was told so many things. You are not tall enough, your built is not right, your eyebrows are a little… not in a certain shape. Very weird things. I was like ‘What? What about acting?’ Voh kisko chahiye? (Who wants that?)”

Rao shared that it was Dibakar Banerjee’s vision for him, and his first casting director Atul Mongia, who spotted the talent in the actor and gave him a chance in the movies. “I’m glad Dibakar wanted that, Atul Mongia saw that, my casting director for my first film. That’s the thing which will take you forward and nothing else. Eventually, the talent stays and nothing else remains,” he said.

In a recent chat at the India Today Conclave East 2022, Rao had spoken about his early days in Mumbai and how he sometimes survived on one packet of biscuits. “There were times when I lived on one Parle-G ka packet a day with just Rs 18 in my bank account. Luckily, I had friends from film school who helped. But I never had a Plan B. I always wanted to become an actor,” he said.

Rajkummar Rao will next be seen in HIT: The First Case, where he stars alongside Sanya Malhotra. His upcoming films include Bheed, Mr And Mrs Mahi and Monica, O My Darling.