{"id":213371,"date":"2014-03-18T15:26:57","date_gmt":"2014-03-18T09:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tehelka.com\/?p=213371"},"modified":"2014-03-18T15:26:57","modified_gmt":"2014-03-18T09:56:57","slug":"i-was-rejected-at-auditions-for-the-most-ridiculous-reasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/i-was-rejected-at-auditions-for-the-most-ridiculous-reasons\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I was rejected at auditions for the most ridiculous reasons\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><figure id=\"attachment_213374\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-213374\" style=\"width: 280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-213374\" alt=\"Rajkummar Rao 29, Actor \" src=\"http:\/\/www.tehelka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/rajkumar.jpg\" width=\"280\" height=\"500\" data-id=\"213374\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-213374\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Rajkummar Rao<\/strong>\u00a0| 29 | Actor<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<strong>Did films happen by chance?<\/strong><br \/>\nNot really. Everyone in my family is a Hindi film buff. So, I was naturally very enthusiastic about cinema. I began doing theatre in school, but it was only after I went to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune that I resolved to become an actor, so much so that I never looked at an alternative career option.<br \/>\n<strong>Have you deliberately chosen not to play similar characters?<\/strong><br \/>\nOur industry typecasts actors, so you can\u2019t afford to bracket yourself. The major advantage and beauty of being a film actor is that you get to live many lives. If you are interested in playing one character for long, then you might as well opt for television.<br \/>\n<strong>What went into delivering the performance in <em>Shahid<\/em>?<\/strong><br \/>\nGiven that I could not interact with the man himself (Shahid Azmi), I spent a considerable time with his family, especially his brother. It helped me understand why Shahid did what he did. In preparing for any role, physical transition is easier than making internal space for your character. Letting your hair and moustache grow is a passive change, which doesn\u2019t require much effort. A mental transition, however, does.<br \/>\n<strong>What substantial changes have you undergone as an actor?<\/strong><br \/>\nFTII changed my perception of acting. Initially, for me, being an actor meant, beating up 10 guys and still looking good. Now it has transformed into a meditative art. I\u2019ve been turned down at auditions for the most ridiculous reasons like \u201cyou are not fair enough\u201d or \u201cyour eyebrows are not right for the role\u201d! But instead of driving myself to despair, I learnt how to channel my energies.<br \/>\n<strong>All artists embrace hidden egos. How much truth does this hold for you?<\/strong><br \/>\nI believe nurturing self respect is more important than embracing ego.<br \/>\n<strong>Your next film <em>City Lights<\/em> is said to be inspired by Sean Ellis\u2019 <em>Metro Manila<\/em>. Did watching the film help you prepare for your role?<\/strong><br \/>\nI made a conscious effort of not watching <em>Metro Manila<\/em> for the fear of being influenced by Jake Macapagal\u2019s portrayal of the character. Besides, I didn\u2019t see the point of watching it, given that the landscapes the two films are set in are completely different. It has been my toughest role by far and has drained me emotionally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After making his debut in Love, Sex Aur Dhokha in 2010, Rajkummar Rao gained popularity after Kai Po Che. He continued to prove his mettle with Shahid, claiming the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of lawyer-activist Shahid Azmi. Rao is known for his performances in Ragini MMS, Shaitan, Gangs of Wasseypur 2, Chittagong, Talaash, D-Day and his most recent release Queen. He will soon be seen in Hansal Mehta\u2019s next, City Lights. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":213375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21],"tags":[7766,28,5728,4222,7886,7887,7888],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213371"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}