Rajkummar Rao has had an impressive career and is counted among the most accomplished and respected actors in Bollywood today. But his path to fame was not an easy one, being from a humble background. The Maalik actor recently candidly shared his struggles from his pre-fame days, from earning a meagre Rs 300 to being deceived by a fake casting call. But did you know what was the first thing he bought with his earnings?
In an interview with Brief India, Rao recalled his first earnings of Rs 300, which came from teaching dance to a young girl while he was still in high school. Here’s what he used it for.
“I was in high school when I used to go teach dance to a 7-year-old girl at her house. I used to get Rs 300 for training her. The first time when I received my first salary, I think it was six notes of Rs 50. I was so happy because the financial situation at my house was not good in those days,” he said. “After buying groceries, I was left with some money, so I bought desi ghee. It was a big deal for us to have ghee on our rotis,” he said.
Speaking to content creator Ranveer Allahbadia on his podcast, Rajkummar opened up about one of the most difficult periods in his life when he was new in Mumbai, struggling to find work and grappling with financial insecurity. “The most difficult time was facing financial difficulty and getting no work. My mother supported me a lot and when I would run out of money, she would arrange it and send it,” he shared.
He went on to recount a particularly tough phase when his bank balance was just Rs 18. “I remember once I was left with only Rs 18 in my account and that too in a city like Mumbai. I used to spend very frugally. We three used to live in one flat and I used to skip lunch and have one Parle G and Frooti for lunch. My lunch would cost me Rs 4 at the time,” he said.
During his recent appearance on The Great Indian Kapil Show, Rao narrated how, as a teenager in Delhi, he was tricked by someone pretending to be a casting agent. “I had read a cutting in a newspaper that a show was being made for TV. I was in 11th standard. We didn’t know the difference between TV and films. I just wanted to act,” he said.
“So I called them and (this person) asked me to meet him. I cycled to South Ext in Delhi. They had a typical office. The man had a photo with everyone from Gulshan Grover to Raza Murad. I thought he knew everyone. He said it would cost me Rs 10,000 for a photo shoot,” Rao recalled.
Believing it was his big break, Rao’s mother borrowed the money to fund the shoot. “He then got my photoshoot done at Kalindi Kunj Park. Then I got a call that I had been selected. I was on my knees thinking I made it in life. I was all set,” he said. However, three days later, when he returned to the office, it was deserted. “The office was locked and no one was there. I asked people around me about it. They said, what happened, are you here to act? I said yes. They told me they had run away.”
Rajkummar Rao and his wife Patralekhaa recently announced their pregnancy. On the work front, Rao had a recent release last Friday, the gangster drama titled Maalik.