Rajkummar Rao on Monday heaped praise on his wife, actress Patralekhaa, for her performance in Ananth Mahadevan’s latest historical drama Phule, congratulating her for bringing social reformer Savitribai Phule to life on screen.

Rajkummar shared a few stills from Phule alongside a long heartfelt appreciation post, where he revealed how Patralekhaa carved out her path in a ‘cutthroat’ entertainment industry. The actor also said that he was inspired by her grit and resilience as an artist.

“@patralekhaa words can’t describe my feelings after watching your performance in #Phule. I’m so inspired seeing you playing Savitribai Phule ji, which is such a tough part to portray. You are such a pure artist and I have seen that in #Citylights #IC814 and #Phule and many more,” Rajkummar wrote on Instagram.

Referring to Patralekhaa’s character Indrani in Netflix’s IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, he wrote, “I remember calling you after watching your phone scene in #IC814 and asking you how did you do this magic because I know for a fact that so many of our working actors today won’t be able to do it with this much purity and truth, including me. So many moments in #Phule were pure gold as an artist. The way people clapped in theatres after you slap that guy in Phule was such a joy to witness.”

“You are truly gifted, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Your grit and resilience have inspired me so much. In such a cut-throat industry, you, my love, have always stood your ground and kept working silently and pushing your boundaries. You have done everything on your own without any support from anyone. I’ve seen you working so hard for so many years, and it’s your moment now. I’m a very proud husband,” the actor signed off.

Patralekhaa responded to Rajkummar Rao in the comment section, saying, “I love you Raj, Thank you for everything.”

Also starring Pratik Gandhi, Phule follows the story of social reformers Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, who played a pivotal role in challenging caste and gender-based discrimination, leaving an indelible mark on Indian society.

Following the March 24 trailer release of Phule, a section of Brahmin communities raised objections against the representation of the community in the film, alleging that it promotes casteism.

The CBFC on April 9 decided to cut certain scenes from the film amid the controversy, which resulted in the film’s release date getting pushed to April 25.

Though the film did not get shows in several Indian cities, including Kanpur, Varanasi and Pragaygraj on Day 1, the filmmaker told The Telegraph Online that the makers chose to release it only in selected theatres and the film might be released in more Indian cities in the coming weeks.