‘I’m Very Greedy And Hungry’

‘I
always
think
I’m
going
to
do
maybe
two
films
a
year.
But
then
I
get
these
really
good
scripts
and
I
get
greedy.’

Rajkummar
Rao
gives
us
another
comedy
with

Bhool
Chuk
Maaf,
where
he
also
romances
Wamiqa
Gabi
in
a
time
loop
genre
film.

“As
long
as
I’m
getting
to
play
different
characters
and
challenging
roles,
I
don’t
mind,”
Raj
tells

Subhash
K
Jha.

What
was
it
like
returning
to
comedy?

Bhool
Chuk
Maaf
was
a
joyful
process.

I’ve
been
a
big
fan
of
the
time
loop
genre
and
this
is
the
first
time
that
it’s
coming
to
Hindi
cinema.

Writer-Director
Karan
Sharma
had
lived
with
this
story
for
a
long
time.

It’s
very
detailed
and
a
fulfilling
experience
for
me.
It’s
a
beautiful
story
with
lot
of
comedy
and
a
beautiful
message
in
the
end.

Comedy
is
not
an
easy
genre.
How
do
you
swing
it
time
after
time?

Yes,
comedy
is
not
an
easy
genre.
It
is
a
tough
genre
but
I
love
it.

I
think
I
somewhere
exploded
during

Bareilly
Ki
Barfi,
where
people
saw
me
doing
comedy
for
the
first
time.

Yes,
but
it
isn’t
only
about
you
getting
it
right.

I
think
it
depends
a
lot
on
the
writing.
The
writing
has
to
be
there.
The
situations
have
to
be
there.

Only
then
an
actor
can
may
be
take
it
to
some
other
level.

Without
good
writing
in
comedy,
it
might
look
forced.

That
way,
you
have
been
lucky.

Yes.
I
have
been
lucky
that
I
have
been
a
part
of
some
really
well-written
scripts,
which
are
genuinely
funny.

But
I
think,
yeah,
once
you
have
everything
in
your
favour
—
like
the
writing,
the
right
script,
the
right
co-actors
—
it’s
very
important
to
enjoy
what
you
are
doing,
especially
in
a
comedy
film,
because
that
translates
on
screen.

How
different
was

Bhool
Chuk
Maaf?

As
I
said,
this
is
a
new
genre
for
Hindi
cinema
and
I
have
been
a
big
fan
of
the
time
loop
theme.

It’s
a
lot
of
fun
exploring
this
because
you
are
reliving
the
same
day
again
and
again.
But
how
differently
you
can
react
to
the
same
situations
was
a
task.

My
director
Karan
was
very
much
in
charge.
He
exactly
knew
how
my
character
Ranjan
would
react
in
different
situations,
on
different
days.

That
really
helped
because
the
writing
was
brilliant.

I
enjoyed
what
I
read,
and
that
made
my
life
easy

You
shot
for

Bhool
Chuk
Maaf
in
Varanasi.

Shooting
in
Varanasi
was
an
amazing
experience.
I
personally
love
being
in
Varanasi.

Just
sitting
by
the
ghats,
you
know,
sitting
in
front
of
Ma
Ganga,
it’s
very
peaceful.

The
way
(Director
Of
Photography)
Sudeep
Chatterjee
has
shot
Banaras!
He
has
made
it
look
so
serene,
so
beautiful,
so
colourful.

How
do
you
view
the
past
few
years
of
your
career?

The
past
couple
of
years
have
been
hectic,
but
no
complaints.

As
long
as,
you
know,
I’m
getting
to
play
different
characters
and
challenging
roles,
I
don’t
mind.

How
do
you
manage
to
be
so
prolific
and
yet
so
consistently
good?

I
try.
I
always
think
I’m
going
to
do
maybe
two
films
a
year.
But
then
I
get
these
really
good
scripts
and
I
get
greedy.

I’m
a
very
greedy
and
hungry
actor.

So
whenever
I
read
something
nice
and
a
good
maker
is
attached
with
it,
it’s
very
tough
for
me
to
say
no.

As
long
as
I’m
not
being
repetitive
in
my
films,
I’m
fine.

Your
next?

The
next
will
be

Maalik,
which
is
in
a
way
my
debut
in
the
raw
action
genre.

I’m
looking
forward
to
that.
I
want
to
see
how
people
will
react
to
that.