I was getting typecast after Corporate: Rajat Kapoor

Highlights

• He is known for his mixed bag of roles in arthouse as well as commercial films, but Rajat Kapoor says he was getting typecast in the industry after playing a suave businessman in Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate.
• The 51-year-old actor said he had to reject many film offers to come out of that shell and choose some out-of-the-box scripts.
• "I always want to do something which is completely unique. I hate to repeat myself. After Corporate, I was getting similar kind of roles. I used to get calls from directors who wanted me to portray the same shrewd character of a businessman. But I rejected them and rather opted for other kind of films," Rajat told PTI.
• The actor has a fair share small budgeted content-driven films including Bheja Fry, Mithya and Phas Gaye Re Obama to his credit.
• "I have never followed the trends. I have always jumped onto those projects which gave me enough scope to perform rather than help me earn money. I have never thought whether the audience would like it or not before signing the films," he said.
• Rajat plays a struggling writer in his recent release, director Saurabh Shukla's rom-com I M 24. The film is about the new age romance, where Shubendu (Rajat) lies to impress a girl who is half his age.
• The actor said he was initially apprehensive to play a bald character in the film, which got a mixed response at the box-office.
• "I was worried because I thought if I cut my hair at this stage then I will remain bald for rest of my life. But Saurabh cajoled me to get the look and I am lucky that I didn't have to undergo such an embarrassing situation. It was interesting to play the character because it has got many shades."
• Rajat started his career in films as a director and won three National Awards for his films and documentaries. He made his feature film debut with Aamir Khan-starrer Dil Chahta Hai.
• "As a teenager, I watched films with my family and decided to become a filmmaker at the age of 14. I mainly focused on acting and had joined the theatre in Delhi. I faced trouble finding acting jobs in the 1990s and so I began writing and directing short films," he added.
• Rajat will be seen next in Deepa Mehta's Midnight's Children and Sharat Katariya's 10ml Love, based on William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.
• "In both the films I play very interesting characters. I am also shooting for my next directorial Aankhon Dekhi, a film on Delhi. I am also writing two scripts -- one is a science fiction and the other is a gangster drama," he said.