Gajraj Rao has been acting for years. But his breakout performance came through Badhaai Ho. After sharing the screen space with Neena Gupta in that film, the actor and ad filmmaker is gearing up to star opposite Madhuri Dixit in the upcoming Amazon Original film Maja Maa. Excerpts from his interaction with the media during the promotions of the series.
What was your reaction when you got to know that you will be working with Madhuri Dixit?
Gajraj Rao: My heart skipped a beat. It was like a dream come true to play a significant role opposite the legend of Madhuri Dixit. The shoot was being planned during Covid. I was scared and didn’t know whether I would be able to go for the shoot or not. But working with her is so important so I said, ‘Bhaad mein jaaye Covid. Jokes apart, we took all the precautions while shooting. Amazon Prime Video had their safety protocols.
How did it feel to give your first shot with Madhuri?
Gajraj Rao: Main mugdh tha! It was unbelievable for a moment that I was sharing screen space with Madhuri Dixit and she would be saying dialogues to me. I had never thought of it. A lot of credit goes to her for being so down to earth despite being such a successful actress.
You have been working in films since Bandit Queen (1994). What differences did you see after the success of Badhaai Ho?
Gajraj Rao: It was life-altering. It was like I was writing for a local newspaper/magazine and suddenly one day I got my article printed in Time magazine or The New York Times. People’s perspective towards you changes. Earlier I didn’t have any complaints. I had some acting work and I had my ad films work. But the warmth and respect that I have been getting from the makers after Badhaai Ho is unprecedented.
How did you get Badhaai Ho?
Gajraj Rao: Amit Sharma, the director of Badhaai Ho, and I used to assist Pradeep Sarkar long back. I had done one TVF sketch with Ayushmann Khurrana. We had fun working with each other and had some understanding. So, he also recommended my name. Amit’s wife Aliya Sen also recommended that Gajraj would be fit for this role. So, that’s how I was called. I was hesitant at first. But my wife told me not to be afraid. How would it affect a 47-48-year-old-man and what people would think about him? Then I decided to go for it. Luckily for me, it was a well-written role.
Did you get offers after Badhaai Ho to play similar characters? Did you refuse any of those?
Gajraj Rao: I’ll tell you one thing. My father worked in the Railways for 30-35 years. His shifts used to be from 8am to 2pm and 2pm to 10pm. But I never heard him saying ‘Today I’m feeling frustrated or depressed, I need space’ and things like that. He didn’t have these words in his vocabulary. He used to be very happy. I come from that background. I believe that if I worry about getting typecast, there are 50,000 actors in the line to take up that part. The only thing I make sure is that the storyline is not similar.
Do you enjoy working in comedies?
Gajraj Rao: Laughter is very important in life. Whenever you want to make someone understand something, it helps if it is sugar-coated a little.
Do you want to break away from the father role?
Gajraj Rao: There’s one project coming up on OTT. It’s a teleplay titled Gunehgaar. And I play a slightly antagonistic part in Amit Sharma’s Maidaan where Ajay Devgn is playing the lead. Because of Covid, a lot of things that could have happened didn’t happen. It’s not like I’m saying, don’t offer me father roles. I have to run my house.
You were part of TVF sketches before the OTT boom happened during Covid. How do you see this transition?
Gajraj Rao: I was part of the shift in 2013-14 when I used to collaborate with TVF. Nobody had thought that TVF content would be the benchmark for content. I surrendered myself to those young creators and let them guide me on what they wanted to do with the content.
The OTT boom is good for actors and technicians. People have jobs now. Nobody used to value writers earlier. Now they’re getting work, respect as well as remuneration. As for actors, we have a lot of choices now. So, we can play characters that we really want to not because you have to.
