His career graph has been climbing since his 2010 debut with Love Sex aur Dhokha a.k.a LSD, but 2017 gave Rajkummar Rao his biggest breaks with Trapped, Newton, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Behen Hogi Teri, the later films showing him in lighter roles.

The actor agrees that Bareilly Ki Barfi helped him break an image that was fast gaining ground. With 2018, he has already taken it forward with roles in films such as Fanney Khan and Stree and the road ahead, he says, is only more exciting.

Widely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation, Rao chatted up with The Woods. Excerpts...

The Woods: How were your days of struggle before you made your mark in the industry?

Rajkummar Rao: There was substantial struggle. I wanted to act since I was in school and I have worked hard for it. I did theatre during college. Then I went to FTII. After I came to Mumbai, there was struggle for a good two years before LSD happened. I wouldn’t say it was an easy road, but the struggle was enjoyable. The struggle taught me a lot. And today, things are good. My love for acting has not changed. For me this is not a job, it is my identity. I hope this remains my identity forever.

• What was your biggest support when things were not working out?

• It was my family’s support and not just financially. I don’t come from a very rich background. Whatever they could support me with, they did. They backed me up emotionally. My mother never asked me to try television or to do something else when it was not working out. Two years is a long time and Mumbai is a very expensive city.

• You have been able to work with some very exciting filmmakers...

• I work on stories and believe in them. And with these stories come good people. I am been very fortunate that I got to work with some great filmmakers. I have learnt a lot. You are as good as your director. You can see a growth me in as an actor because of the kind of people I work with.

• Have you faced rejections based on looks? Enough people talk about how you don’t look like the conventional Hindi film hero…

• I faced a lot of rejections in the first two or three years. When I would approach for an audition for a film, I was told to try for a smaller part because they had an image in mind for the lead. They could not visualise me in these parts. But I never took that negatively. I thought maybe there would be someone who see me as a lead. Dibakar (Banerjee) saw it, and then others did too.

• You were primarily seen as an actor dabbling in serious dramas till Bareilly Ki Barfi came along. Do you think Stree takes that forward?

• Yes, Bareilly Ki Barfi added me a new facet to my image, that I can be funny. With Stree, it takes another step forward. It is a thoroughly entertaining film, with a mix of horror and comedy. I am glad Bareilly happened. It broke a lot of norms. As an actor, I want to do different roles. The kind of films I am doing after Stree — Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh, Mental Hai Kya, Made in China — they are all very different from each other. Now there is no tag on me that Raj can only do this. It is a great space to be in.

• We have also been getting to see the dancer in you in recent films...

• Actually, dance came into my life before acting. I was dancing on stage at school. We used to perform a lot of folk dance and Hindi film songs. I always enjoyed dancing. It’s just that the kind of films I was doing did not allow me the scope to dance. When I get an opportunity, I thoroughly enjoy dancing. When I was younger I used to enjoy dancing on Ek Pal Jeena from Kaho Na Pyaar Hai.

• Outsiders feel inspired by your success…

• Definitely, they can do it. If the industry can offer me such a place, there is definitely space for everyone. Just that you have to work really hard and learn. Learn and come, don’t just appear here.