Gajraj Rao has been in the industry for a while now, but his well-owned moment in the spotlight was with his breakthrough performances in films like Badhaai Ho and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. Recently, his performance in Dabba Cartel and Dupahiya were also applauded.
Gajraj Rao who debuted with Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen years ago, recently spoke up about the challenges that middle-aged actors face in the film industry.
The actor revealed that initially, he used to feel frustrated for not being on the radar of big filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Karan Johar, but his wife said something that made him comfortable. He added that now, he is no longer unhappy about such things.
Gajraj Rao told Fever FM, "I've always tried to avoid the rat race and too much competition. I'm happy being a tortoise, I don't want to be a rabbit. I don't like the hassle. A couple of years ago, I came to a realisation. I would really try and approach the big filmmakers, and directors like Karan Johar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rohit Shetty. I wanted to work with them and I was frustrated about being overlooked. My wife told me something very interesting. She told me, 'You aren't even on their radar. You aren't on Karan Johar's radar. His world is made up of other people. You should consider the filmmakers who want to work with you as your own Karan Johar and Bhansali'."
He further added, "I had held on to the hope of working with Karan and Bhansali for so long, and it was eating me up from inside. I would try and convey messages to them, and they couldn't get back to me, for whatever reason. Hitesh Bhatia is my Rohit Shetty. Sonam Nair is my Bhansali. It's not that I no longer want to work with Bhansali, but it'll happen when it has to happen. I'm not too bothered about it any more, my khatarnak urge to work with them has died."
Gajraj Rao has been winning hearts with his performances in Dabba Cartel and Dupahiya this year. Last year he was also seen in Maidaan, Yudhra, and Bad Newz.