Rajukmar still retains his maternal instincts: 'She is always in front of me,' says the actor, 'There is a special connection between 'Stree' and her birthday'.

Rajkumar Rao is celebrating his 40th birthday today. This birthday is very special for the actor. The movie 'Stree 2' has got tremendous success. Rajkumar Rao had a special conversation with Frontpage Insights on the occasion of his birthday. The actor said, there is a very special connection between 'Stri' and his birthday. Stree' was released on her own birthday on 31 August 2018. And, this year 'Stree 2' has already made her birthday special. During the conversation, Rajkumar also shared many childhood memories associated with his birthday. After the smashing success of 'Stree 2', do you think this birthday will be extra special? I am busy preparing for my next film. I think the birthday will be celebrated on the sets itself. I will try to get a day off and come to Mumbai to meet friends. I don't like parties. I love being at home with the people I love. Very happy with the success of 'Stree 2'. Earlier on 31st August 2018 the film 'Stri' was released on my birthday. It seems that there is some special connection between 'woman' and birthday. What kind of childhood memories do you have of birthdays? There are many childhood memories. I celebrated my birthday a lot in my childhood. I grew up in a joint family. We were living with 14 people. We are three siblings. I am the youngest. Mostly my birthday was celebrated at home. Friends were invited. The house was decorated. He was cutting the cake. There are so many memories. Only on birthdays was one allowed to go to school wearing clothes of one's favorite color instead of uniform. Is there a gift from your parents that you are still saving? Toys etc. were used in childhood. So far its maintenance is not possible. But even when my mother left this world, I kept her chain safe. It is always in front of my eyes. What kind of compliments are coming from people after the success of 'Stree 2'? People are getting a lot of love from the entire industry. Many actors and directors are getting calls. There is also a lot of love from the audience. People are messaging on social media. Seeing such love from people makes me emotional. I also grew up in the same streets and neighborhoods. Where 80 percent of India lives. I am also a child among them. Are your choice of stories also relatable to the general public? My choice of stories is close to reality. Such a character could be any local boy. Like Vicky's character in 'Stree 2', anyone can relate to her. People have seen such characters around them. It is very simple and beautiful. Always in love with a girl. He always has a smile on his face. Who did you first fall in love with and when? I first saw Patralekha in an advertisement on TV. It was love at first sight. I didn't know who that girl was. Didn't even know the name. I thought she was such a sweet girl. I wish I could marry her. God heard me. After a month and a half we were going to Pune together for some work. When the conversation started, he revealed what advertisements he had made. Then I realized that he was the same person I saw in the ad. I thanked God. He introduced us to this. It has been 14 years since that sequence. Wasn't there a chance to work together again after 'City Lights'? Very soon we are going to work together. Our plan is underway. We are also looking for such a story. In which we can work together. He is very passionate about his work. He is hungry for acting. This year he has done 'Wild Wild Punjab' with Varun Sharma and the very beautiful film 'Phule' with Pratik Gandhi. The film was based on the life of Savitribai Phule. She is doing very well. What was his reaction after watching 'Stree 2'? He has seen that movie 2-3 times. He liked the film very much, he enjoyed it a lot. Laughed a lot watching the movie. But when the slide came, she screamed the loudest. She is always my first audience. Whenever I do a film I try to show him the film first. His feedback means a lot to me. She is my very honest critic. When films do not succeed as expected. So reviewing myself why this happened? Yes I absolutely do. There are many reasons for this. Release date is also a big factor in this. How is the promotion of the film? Whether the trailer reached the public or not. All of that means a lot of things. Many movies are good, but not playing in theatres. While it performs well in OTT. There is a lot of talk about that movie. Then the question comes to mind that why these people did not come to watch the movie in the theater? When I review this matter. Then it becomes clear that he did not even know that such a film was playing in the theatre. At least the trailer should reach people and then they decide whether to watch the film or not. Will the 'woman' come forward? 'Stree 3' movie will definitely come. What message would you like to give to people like you who want to get into the industry? I can say from my personal experience. When I came to this city, I didn't know anyone. But I have come fully prepared after studying. I did theatre. Left FTI after graduation. Studied acting there for two-and-a-half years. Came to Mumbai in 2008. I loved my work and was ready to work hard. He came up with three things. I would advise people to do these three things. Rest, how much gym you do, how many people you are in contact with. This doesn't work. All the people who come from outside get the job only through audition. These three things are useful. There are many opportunities for people now. But you have to come with full preparation. Who are the people around you? This is also very important. Surround yourself with people who encourage you. That inspires you. How you are friends is also very important. Friends who organize parties and groups should be avoided. What kind of friends did you make when you entered the industry? very good friends. When we sit we talk about cinema. Talking about our lives. We also joke around, but not cheap or useless jokes. All my friends are very pure. When we talk, we talk about good performances and good cinema. Discuss ideas with each other and what could be done better. How do you feel when you look back? Feels good. I came to this city thinking that I would do something good. There was never a plan B in life. Thank you very much to God above. Blessings of mother and many thanks to listeners. No idea where it came from and where it went. Always thought of living in the present. You are very attached to your mother, she has inspired you a lot. When you told him you wanted to pursue a career in acting, what were his thoughts on cinema? Mother herself was a big fan of cinema. Our whole family loves cinema very much. We would put the VHS cassette in the VCR and watch movies every Saturday. Mom has been a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan. I started doing theatre. After that went to FTI to do acting course. Mom was always very supportive. He supported me in whatever I did. He always gave freedom to the three siblings to do whatever they wanted to do in life, but do it sincerely and wholeheartedly. What is the attitude of people in the industry after coming from FTI? There is a big difference between the world of FTI and industry. FTI itself is a very beautiful campus. It is a planet in itself. Where one stays stress free with lots of love. Just think of the 24 hour cinema. Make movies, watch movies, attend my classes. But when we come to Mumbai we face the reality. This is a very expensive city. Nobody here knows.

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