Many know him for his acts in Secret Superstar, Article 370, Shershaah, Thalaivi, Raees and Love Hostel more than his name, but Raj Arjun is not complaining. Becoming a character to the extent that the audience forgets the actor is his goal. ‘I was waiting to do a big commercial film like Yudhra, which has action and entertainment,’ says Raj as he opens up about working on the film co-starring Yudhra Siddhant Chaturvedi and Malavika Mohanan.

You got your break very late in your career with Secret Superstar (2017).

Raj Arjun: Yes. When I got a break, I felt very satisfied and humbled because I got it when I was thinking about whether I’d get a break or not. Once I cracked it in Secret Superstar, I knew that I had proven myself. My fight was with myself, that I was a good actor. I was waiting for a role that would make me feel that I am a good actor.

When I started getting work after Secret Superstar, I decided that I would make sure that none of my roles were similar to each other. I was okay with a slow work flow but I wanted to focus on quality so that after two or three years, there would be a bank of good films and different characters.

It was tough because I was losing out on work. But I did not regret it. I was not choosing work only to build relationships or do PR to get more work. I believe that if I justify my character, somebody will notice sooner or later. I feel happy when people are surprised that I am the same actor who was there in Secret Superstar as well as in Thalaivi (2021). I don’t want to be remembered as Raj Arjun the actor. I want to be remembered by my characters’ names.

Which are your favourite on-screen looks of yours?

Raj Arjun: The first one was Secret Superstar. Then, Thalaivi. Dear Comrade (2019) was okay. Watchman (2019) was fine. I worked a lot on my look for Kasim Razvi in Razakar (2024). Yudhra is my favourite look of them all. It was my idea. I discussed it with Ravi Udyawar (director) and he liked the idea very much. When I saw the look on the screen, I felt that we had done something amazing. It was good that Firoz would be a bald man with a long beard because it created a lot of impact. He looks very different from the other antagonists I had played so far.

Tell us how you visualised Firoz.

Raj Arjun: Firoz lives on his terms. He’s a big tycoon, a drug dealer, a don. He was born in a lower-middle class family. And gradually, he has gained power via illegal businesses. There’s no Ramayana without Ravan. And there’s no Yudhra without Firoz. I am the devil in Yudhra (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and Nikhat’s (Malavika Mohanan) life. Yudhra becomes Yudhra because of Firoz.

In the first meeting itself, Ravi sir trusted me with the villain’s role. That gives you more responsibility towards the makers and all. When I signed the film, Excel Entertainment sent me a big gift hamper with a handwritten letter from producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. It read: ‘Raj sir, we welcome you into our family, and we are so looking forward to seeing you on Yudhra’s set, and we are excited to have you on board.’ It is about values – how you treat your actors. How can I not put my heart into this script when they have left everything to me?

Raj Arjun with Yudhra director Ravi Udyawar (centre) and co-star Raghav Juyal

How did you work on the antagonist-protagonist dynamic with Siddhant Chaturvedi?

Raj Arjun: When I spoke to Siddhant and saw his vibe, I felt that he is someone who has come up like me. I asked him and his story was almost the same. He didn’t have any godfather, neither did I. The struggle, we can say, was almost the same. It’s just that he got a break sooner, I got a break a little later. We both have done the rounds of Aram Nagar in Andheri (where most casting directors operate from). He is focused on his work. He’s sincere and he’s making an effort to achieve something. I like that energy when somebody is fighting to create something. There is some josh in that. I liked this about Siddhant.

You don’t necessarily have to build relationships. I have been working for a long time and I have noticed that when I’m on set, it does not make any difference who is in front of me. For me, he’s just a character and that helps me.

What are your upcoming projects?

Raj Arjun: I just finished a film called Match Fixing, for which I shot in Lucknow, Turkey and London. The film will release in November, most probably. I play a character called Imam in Match Fixing. And then I was waiting to work with Ram Gopal Varma again because in a way, he’s my mentor. My film journey started with doing small roles in his films. He heard a lot about Razakar and asked me whether I’d be interested in doing something he was developing. The film is called Rush and he narrated the one-liner of the film. I liked it so much that I immediately agreed. We shot Rush in Coorg and they’re planning to release it in November or December this year.

How did working with Ram Gopal Varma in Company and with Anurag Kashyap in Black Friday happen?

Raj Arjun: I was doing small roles in television. Prawaal Raman (director of Darna Mana Hai and Gayab), who was a chief assistant director back then, noticed me in a series called Milte Hain Break Ke Baad, where I used to play Common Man. He called me up for Company (2002). I shot this one scene where I rode my own Kawasaki Bajaj. I was paid Rs 2,000 for it. I didn’t have any dialogue. It was a single shot but Ramuji noticed me. He kept asking Prawaal about me. Ramuji met me a couple of times and then Shabri (2011) happened. Meanwhile, Prawaal cast me in some of his films.

Director Raj Kumar Gupta (Aamir, Ghanchakkar, Raid) was assisting Anurag Kashyap on Black Friday (2004). I happened to work in the TV series Haqeeqat where Raj Kumar was an associate director. I asked him for work but he said that casting for Black Friday was almost locked. I wanted to work with Anurag because his name was everywhere. I insisted that I would do anything. Raj Kumar said, ‘There’s one sequence where some guys go for training. Very few dialogues. You will get 20,000 rupees. Would you like to do it?’ I said, ‘Yes, I will do it.’ That’s how I met Anurag Kashyap.