Biography:

Rajkummar Rao (born Rajkumar Yadav on August 31, 1984) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He made his film debut with the 2010 experimental film Love Sex aur Dhokha and achieved success in 2013 with the drama film Kai Po Che!, for which he was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was awarded the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Shahid Azmi in the 2013 biographical film Shahid.

Career

After graduating from FTII, Rajkummar spent the next year visiting studios and meeting casting directors. In 2010, he got his big break when he was cast in Love Sex aur Dhokha, after responding to an ad that mentioned Dibakar Banerjee was looking for newcomers.

Next, he signed Ekta Kapoor’s Ragini MMS where he played a negative role. Both Love Sex Aur Dhokha and Ragini MMS succeeded, and his performances in both films were appreciated. He also appeared in Bejoy Nambiar's Shaitan. Raja Sen of Rediff, while criticizing the film, singled out his performance as "reliably terrific".

In 2012, Rajkummar did a slew of small, but significant roles in films like Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2, Chittagong and Talaash. Anurag Kashyap picked Rajkummar for Gangs Of Wasseypur, after watching his performance in Love Sex aur Dhokha. For the role of Shamshad Alam, he visited Wasseypur to perfect his character and accent. However, his character's screen time was considerably reduced in the final script. Rajkummar who was eager to work with Anurag Kashyap, went ahead with the movie anyway. In the critically acclaimed Chittagong, he portrayed the role of freedom fighter, Lokenath Bal. In Talaash, he played the role of a junior officer to Aamir Khan's character. Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN commented, "...it takes Rajkumar Yadav just one scene - in which he's merely a spectator with a single line of dialogue - to show what a good actor can bring even to a small part."

In 2013, Rajkummar played the role of 'Govind' in the movie Kai Po Che!, which is Abhishek Kapoor's adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life. The movie was a commercial and critical success, and brought in a lot of praise to its lead actors. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV remarked, "No praise would be enough for Raj Kumar Yadav. Delivering a measured performance as the self-effacing man lost in “the magic of numbers”, he is a consummate scene-stealer." Rajkummar followed Kai Po Che! with a stellar performance in the biopic Shahid, based on the life of the slain lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi. It earned wholesome praise from the film community, critics, and the general public. Anupama Chopra wrote in Hindustan Times, "... Shahid is Raj Kumar’s triumph. His Shahid has strength, anguish and a controlled anger, but also real charm. His smile lights up the frame. See Shahid for him." The role earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

Rajkummar will be next seen in the romantic drama Queen with Kangana Ranaut. Arbaaz Khan has also roped Rajkummar for his upcoming film 'Dolly Ki Doli' where he will play one of the male leads opposite Sonam Kapoor.

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