Mumbai: He has established a niche for himself in the film industry with powerful performances in films like 'Aligarh', 'Citylights', 'Trapped' and, more recently, 'Bareilly Ki Barfi '. National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao says his upcoming movie 'Newton' is a special film. Rao, who essays the title role in 'Newton', says it is a special film with a great script and humour attached to it. (Pic- Twitter)
Talking to UNI, Rajkummar, who was in the national capital to promote his film, said,"Newton has a great story with a lot of humour attached to it. It talks about something very special, very important that not many of us are aware of. The kind of response we have got from our international audience and have won couple of awards at really prestigious festivals is a witness to the fact that 'Newton' is a special film.'' Rao said, ''It is not a conventional film. I hope it can add to changing the perception the world has of us as a cinema culture.
We are not just song and dance. We are more. We tell stories.'' Talking about his character, Rao said,"I am playing a Government clerk who does his job with full dedication and honesty. So that's what makes him different like scientist Newton was.'' Asked whether he is scared of being typecast, the 'Trapped' actor said," I don't have any fears of being typecast. I don't have any fears in life. I am very happy being an actor. I am in a very secured place, and that's how I want to lead my life -- always to live independently.'' On his experience of shooting the film in a real location, Rajkummar said,"I always enjoy shooting in the real location. As an actor it helps me a lot. It gives me a lot of space that I am in as my character, so I always prefer shooting in real locations.'' The credit goes to Amit Masurkar -- director of the movie. Amit took this initiative that we would go and shoot in the jungles of Chhattisgarh-- a sensitive area." Asked about his thoughts on the ongoing debate on nepotism, the actor who has made it large without any backing or connection in the industry, said," I don't mind anyone coming on screen as long as they are talented, as long as they are worthy enough. As an audience, I want to see talent on screen.
I don’t care where it is coming from. As long as an actor is talented, it is worth my money and time, I want to see them on screen. My problem is when they are not worthy or talented and still they come on the screen because they are privileged enough. That's what my problem is. The problem is when somebody is not talented and still we have to keep watching their films just because of this nepotism thing. But times are changing now. People are accepting only good talent.'' The actor said that the critics and their reviews matter to him a lot. "They matter a lot. I read most of my reviews. I want to see other people’s perspective. It is always good to know what other people are thinking about you because after a point of time you start losing your objectivity. You need a third person’s perspective in order to know things with an open mind," the actor said. On how important Rs 100-200-crore clubs are for him, the actor said,"As long as my producers are making enough money to produce our next film, I am very happy. I definitely want all my films to make money.
I want my producers to make money. For the industry to survive it is important that money should come. It is directly proportionate to how many people are watching your film. Rs 100-200-crore actually means that those many people went to theatre and saw your film. I want both, critical acclaim as well as good earnings.'' Rajkummar says he us excited about his upcoming movie with Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor 'Fanney Khan'. "I am very excited. I am starting Fanney Khan with Aishwarya and Anil Sir. And I am really looking forward to it. Its a great script and has really nicely edged out characters,"he said.
The actor who will be seen in Hansal Mehta's upcoming movie 'Omerta' says,"we had a world premier at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). We got a great response for the film. Omerta is very explosive in nature. Its unapologetic.It shows you the facts how they are. And it made me absolutely numb.'' 'Newton', is a black comedy written and directed by Amit V Masurkar. The story revolves around a rookie government clerk, who is assigned the task of conducting elections in the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, where the fear of Naxalite attack rides high. The cast also includes Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil and Raghubir Yadav. The movie has premiered at a number of international film festivals--Berlin 2017, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival among others — and has received good reviews. 'Newton', presented by Eros International and Aanand L Rai, a Drishyam Production, releases on September 22. (UNI)