Rajkummar Rao recalls how no one recognised him in his first film with Dinesh Vijan: ‘People said anyone could’ve done that role’ | Bollywood News
Rajkummar Rao is collaborating again with producer Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films after the blockbuster success of the Stree franchise. This time, it’s for Bhool Chuk Maaf, another comedy (sans horror), helmed debutant director Karan Sharma.
At the trailer launch of the film, Rajkummar recalled his first collaboration with Dinesh and Maddock Films. “Some matches are made in heaven. Dinoo (Vijan) and I are also one of them. Our relationship started when I did a small part in Raabta (2017), a film Dinoo had directed. Everyone said anyone could have done that role since they can’t recognise me in the role. At that time, I felt there must be a reason. Now I know the reason was that we were destined to meet,” said Rajkummar.
He played a 324-year-old ancient figure in Raabta, and the actor could not be recognised under heavy prosthetic. However, that cameo led to him leading a blockbuster franchise like Stree. “Dinoo is the only producer I know who loves all his films, whether big or small, with the same sincerity and passion. That’s his great quality. He brings good filmmakers, good stories with a quirk, with a twang. What else does an actor need,” added Rakummar.
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Watch | Bhool Chuk Maaf trailer: Rajkummar Rao’s bargain with God for a government job traps him in a time loop
Bhool Chuk Maaf is another quirky comedy from Maddock, which revolves around Rajkummar Rao’s character, a guy from Varanasi who wants to get married to Wamiqa Gabbi’s character, but is stuck in a loop on the eve of their wedding. The day of his haldi keeps repeating endlessly, much to his confusion and frustration. A glimpse of Rajkummar’s impeccable comic timing can be seen in the trailer.
On being asked how funny he is on a scale of 1-10, Rajkummar demonstrated his wit and said, “That’s a very tiny scale.” He added, “I can be very funny, I can be very serious, depending on the character. But in life, I like to be funny more than being serious. I love both! Dinoo, Karan, and I have a lot of bakchodi, and at the same time, have intense, serious discussions on cinema as well.”
Bhool Chuk Maaf marked Wamiqa Gabbi‘s first tryst with mainstream comedy. “I always doubted if I can do comedy because comedy is very tough. I’ve learnt comic timing from Raj and the entire cast we have. So now I’m completely ready for another comedy film,” said Wamiqa. She added that she was nervous the first two days, before Rajkummar comforted her. She also expressed her amazement at how ‘magical’ the shoot was, because despite shooting in extreme heat, they never felt a sliver of effort during the entire shoot.
Dinesh Vijan, who delivered a monster hit in Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava this year and Amar Kaushik’s Stree 2 last year, wished that not just his production house, but the entire film industry does well. “What we’re doing is learning from our makes. And right now, we’re not aspirational to the West. We’re very Indian in how we think. A common man wants stories on them. They’re coming to theatres on Friday. The slighter elite audience is coming 8-9 days later. So maybe the people we’re with and surrounded are very important. Because they’re the ones who’re going to influence the decisions you make. I’m fortunate my writers and directors are grounded. They’re all real people and connected with the new Bharat. The new Bharat is very proud of who they are,” said Dinesh.
Bhool Chuk Maaf is slated to release in cinemas on May 9.
