'My name is Raj Arjun. You must have seen me in films like 'Rowdy Rathore', 'Secret Superstar', 'Dear Comrade'. People think that if I had worked on such big projects, my life would have been very easy, but I have struggled a lot to reach here.
I come from a business family, but when I reached Mumbai to make a name for myself in the film world, I had to spend the night on a railway platform. Actually, lived in a PG in Mumbai. One day I went to actor Kumud Mishra's house. It took a long time to return from there. Entry was not found in the PG late at night. As there was no accommodation anywhere else, we were forced to sleep on the railway platform.
However, sleeping there was not easy. The people sleeping there were told to take off all their clothes and sleep, otherwise the police would take them away as criminals.
There were days when he begged people to give him work. I have suffered so much in life that my heart trembles remembering the old moments. Actor Raj Arjun tells his success story at Frontpage Insights's office in Mumbai. He says, 'I was born in Bhopal. Father was in crockery business. Mother and it was her heartfelt desire that all three of us brothers also progress in this field. Both brothers fulfilled his dream, but I chose my own path.
Hearing this, I immediately asked what did the boy from a business family see that made him decide to become an actor? Raj laughs and says, 'I was studying at Saifia College in Bhopal. One day I went to see a play at Bharat Bhavan. After watching that play, I felt that I wanted to do something similar. Then somehow he started doing plays at Bharat Bhavan. My relationship with drama did not break after this. I used to play drama every morning and evening for 10-12 years. While working in drama, I started getting work in Doordarshan shows.
This picture is from the time when Raj was doing theatre.
Coming from a business background, you didn't have to struggle much in Mumbai? Oh, not at all. If a person is financially strong, he does not get work in films. I didn't even have a godfather in the industry. Like normal stragglers, I had to struggle. Before films, I had to struggle to get work in the TV industry. He used to visit big production houses, but was always disappointed. However, after some time my hard work paid off and I started getting episodic work in TV shows.
After a while all I had was work. I used to earn 60-65 thousand rupees a month easily, but after some time I got satisfied working in the TV industry. Then I decided to try my luck in films.
Has the struggle of the film world not discouraged you? This happened many times, but how can one turn away from acting. It was my decision, so her struggles were also my own. Didn't know anything about film culture. Because of this I had to struggle more.
Initially, I used to get roles in films only for one or two scenes. I did a single scene in the 2002 film 'Company'. For this I got only two thousand rupees. I was tired of doing this kind of work for a long time. I came thinking that my name would be picked among the top performers of the industry, but my identity was buried somewhere. Eventually I took a break and started working on myself again.
Then with which film did you make a comeback? Director Ram Gopal Varma loved my bullet scene in the film company. In return for that one scene, he offered me the lead role in Shabri. I completed the shooting of this film in 2005. It seemed that times were changing, but fate had something else in store. The film took 6 years to release.
How did you cope with this bad phase? The period from 2005 to 2011 was the worst phase of my life. There was a lack of confidence. It seemed like I couldn't do any better. I had no work at all. I was dying to get to work. Imagine if the circumstances were such that I was willing to work even for free.
One day I went to one of my friends crying and said – Please make me work in TV. She got scared seeing my condition as my whole body was shaking. He said- have you come back drunk? That's not what I said. I just want work. I am desperate for work. The friend took pity on me and got me a job in the TV show 'Banegi Apni Baat'. However, later the channelers deleted my share.
I also worked in Anurag Kashyap's film Black Friday. That is why I knew Anurag. I requested Anurag for work many times when there was no work. After some time I felt that they also started ignoring me. Then I stopped even asking them for work.
To tell you the truth, I was regretting my condition. I used to cry and think that even after doing such a big film, I am wandering from house to house in search of work.
Seeing this condition, your wife ever asked questions? She was the only person who believed in me more than I did. When she could not find work, her family members pressured her to enter the business, but she said she would find both work and reward. Whenever I was very sad, I would put my head on his shoulder and cry. My wife is very lucky for me, after her arrival everything became better in life.
Secondly, my daughter Sara Arjun also supported me a lot in every bad time. Sara is also active in acting. He has worked in Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai films.
You have also acted in Akshay Kumar's Rowdy Rathore. How lucky was this film for you? The most interesting thing is that today more people know me because of the role of Rowdy Rathore. I am also surprised by this, as my scenes in the film are very few. I got this movie because of its looks. Actually, I was going through the worst time of my life when this film was offered. The beard had grown, much thicker. The producers needed a similar look, so they cast me.
Raj also worked with Rashmika in the film 'Dear Comrade'. The film also featured Vijay Devarakonda.
Did the film 'Secret Superstar' give you the recognition you were longing for? Yes, this film gave me true identity. Through this I regained my lost confidence and self-esteem. The story of getting work in this film is also interesting. In fact, one day I went to casting director Mukesh Chhabra's office with my daughter. My daughter's audition was going on inside and I was sitting outside. Then Mukesh came and said – Hey, where have you been all these days, never came.
What I would have told him was that I was tired of looking for work. Thought it was better to laugh and avoid talking. Then he said that casting is going on for Aamir Khan's film Secret Superstar and my type is also in the role.
The next day I auditioned for the role, which Aamir sir liked very much, but for a long time there was no response. When I asked Mukesh about this, he said – I am no longer part of his casting team. You are not part of this either. Its casting has gone to Abhishek-Anmol.
Hearing this gave me another shock. It was only a few days when Abhishek-Anmol's office got a call for another audition. I went to audition, but did not perform well. I was sure that I would not be a part of this film, but a miracle happened and Aamir cast me based on the first audition. Finally after 18 years I got the film for which I came to this city with desire.
Have you reached the stage of success you wanted to reach? After the release of Secret Superstar, there was a storm. Many people started coming closer. Then I started getting job offers from South Industry as well. I have acted in Vijay Devarakonda and Rashmika's film Dear Comrade. In 2021, Kangana was also seen in the film Thalaivi. Recently my film 'Yuddh' has been released. People are also giving him a lot of love.
Today I can say that I have reached the point of success where I wanted to see myself. No longer recommending people for work at all. I also don't show people my achievements, so they don't think I'm indirectly asking for work. Now my only wish is that my work is paid attention to, so that I can get work and stay busy all the time.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
