2024 is Rajkummar Rao’s Dream Year
Rajkummar Rao is amongst the finest actors in India. Hailing from a small town in India to becoming one of the greats of Indian Cinema at a young age is no joke. Rajkumar Rao is the find of the decade. The actor has delivered a few box office hits but 2024 seems the fairylike year for him.
Born on 31 August 1984, Rajkummar Rao is from Gurgaon, Haryana. He took great inspiration from Manoj Bajpayee and decided to become an actor. After completing a year of acting course at the Film and Television Institute of India, Rajkummar Rao moved to Mumbai for acting opportunities. He made his debut in 2010 with the film LSAD. Later he was signed by Ekta Kapoor for Ragini MMS.
Anurag Kashyap, amongst India’s greatest filmmakers, liked Rajkummar Rao’s work in LSAD, and signed him for his ambitious film Gangs of Wasseypur: Part 2. Gangs of Wasseypur: Part 1 and Gangs of Wasseypur: Part 2 are amongst the best films ever made in India. It is considered a landmark film in the history of Indian Cinema. The film proved to be a turning point for all of its actors.
Post Gangs of Wasseypur: Part 2, Rajkummar Rao became a known name in the Bollywood industry. In 2013, he starred with Sushant Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh in Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che. The film received critical acclaim and did pretty good business at the box office. For his performance in Kai Po Che, Rajkummar Rao earned his first nomination at the Filmfare Awards.
In 2013, Rajkummar Rao starred as lawyer Shahid Azmi in his biographical film titled Shahid. The film was directed by noted filmmaker Hansal Mehta. Though Shahid was a decent hit at the box office. But the film received widespread critical acclaim and Rajkummar Rao’s performance and Hansal Mehta’s direction were highly regarded. For the film Shahid, Rajkummar Rao won the National Award for Best Actor Award at the 61st National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for Best Actor at the Filmfare Awards. Post Kai Po Che and Shahid, Rajkummar Rao starred in several critical acclaim films and delivered quite a few box office hits such as Queen, Trapped, Bareilly Ki Barfi, and Aligarh.
In 2015, Rajkummar Rao starred in Hansal Mehta’s directional Aligarh. The film also starred Manoj Bajpayee in the lead. Rajkummar Rao who was inspired by Manoj Bajpayee to join the film industry got the chance to work with him. Film Aligarh failed to become a success at the box office but won critical acclaim. The film was premiered at the 59th London Film Festival. They received widespread critical acclaim from film critics in India. Actor Manoj Bajpayee won several awards for his performance in Aligarh while Rajkummar Rao was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 62nd Filmfare Awards.
In 2018, Rajkummar Rao starred in Amar Kaushik’s directional horror-comedy film titled Stree. The film also starred Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurrana. Stree generally received positive reviews and was one of the major hits of 2018. It was also Rajkummar Rao’s first 100-crore film. Rajkummar Rao made his Hollywood debut film ‘The White Tiger’. The drama film was directed by Ramin Bahrani and also starred Priyanka Chopra and Adarsh Gaurav besides Rajkummar Rao. The film was released on Netflix.
In 2023, Rajkummar Rao along with Adarsh Gaurav, Dulquer Salmaan, and Gulshan Devaiah starred in Raj & DK’s directional OTT Web Series for Netflix titled ‘Guns and Gulaabs’. The black comedy–crime thriller show is amongst the best Indian shows on Netflix and one of the most popular shows. The show is renewed for the second season. But 2024 is the fairy-tale year for Rajkummar Rao. The actor is going to have three big releases in the current year.
His rise in 2024 is nothing short of extraordinary
His first film of the year was released on 10 May 2024. The film is called ‘Srikanth’. Srikanth is a biographical film based on the life of Srikanth Bolla, a visually impaired entrepreneur and businessman. Srikanth Bolla is the founder of Bollant Industries. Opened to rave reviews, Srikanth was a hit at the box office. The film also starred Jyothika, Alaya F, Sharad Kelkar, and Jameel Khan. The film was directed by Tushar Hiranandani.
Rajkummar Rao’s second release of 2024 came with actress Jhanvi Kapoor. The duo starred together in a romantic sports drama film titled ‘Mr & Mrs. Mahi’. The film was directed by Sharan Sharma and produced by Karan Johar. The film also starred Rajesh Sharma, Kumud Mishra, Arjit Taneja, and Zarina Wahab among others. The cricket drama film is not related to legendary Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But the film is inspired by him and thus it is called Mr & Mrs. Mahi. The film is shot in Jharkhand, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s hometown. Mr & Mrs Mahi did decent business at the box office and emerged as the second hit of 2024 for Rajkummar Rao.
Rajkummar Rao’s third and final release of 2024 is the much-awaited ‘Stree’. As we mentioned before Stree is Rajkummar Rao’s biggest hit film to date. Released in 2018, Stree grossed over 180 crores at the worldwide box office and became one of the biggest hits of the year. Stree 2 is one of the most awaited releases of the year. The film is set to release on 15th August 2024. Stree 2 is predicated to become a blockbuster at the box office by grossing over 200 crores only in India.
With Stree 2 and his final release of 2024, Rajkummar Rao will be overenjoyed with his magical year of 2024. The actor is currently busy shooting for his forthcoming film titled ‘Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video’. The film stars Tripti Dimri as the female lead.
Rajkummar Rao is also expected to start shooting for director duo Raj & DK’s Guns and Gulaabs for Netflix. The actor will reprise his role of Paana “Spanner” Tipu / Tiger Tipu. The actor is married to actress Patarleka Paul. The duo has been dating each other since 2010 and got married on 15 November 2021 in Chandigarh.