Rajkummar Rao and Sonam Kapoor have worked in a few movies together.
Rajkummar Rao defends Sonam Kapoor after an old clip resurfaced and went viral. In the old clip, Sonam seemed like she was throwing shade at Rajkummar.
Seems like the nepotism debate pertaining to Bollywood isn’t going to die down anytime soon. Recently, a clip from an interview in 2015 featuring actors Rajkummar Rao and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja resurfaced on the internet, which led to the latter getting brutally trolled. In the video, she asks Rajkummar about his take on nepotism but soon cuts him off and starts explaining how she faced problems being a star kid. She further shares that she wanted to assist filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who eventually launched her with the romance musical Sawaariya (2007), but her father, actor Anil Kapoor, did not know him and so, he told her to work with another director. As she expresses her opinions, Rajkummar seems to look quite confused.
Now, Rajkummar in an exclusive interaction with News18 opens up on the much-talked-about viral clip. He tells us that being discussed and having his opinion dissected by netizens is something that will never nudge him to filter his views and mince his words. “That video is edited in a way that it shows my reactions to other things [and not Sonam’s words]. This had happened long back. I’m not someone to sit and think about it. It was in the moment,” he states.
He clarifies that there’s absolutely no animosity between him and his Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019) and Dolly Ki Doli (2015) co-star. Talking about his admiration and closeness to Sonam, he remarks, “Sonam is one of the most kind-hearted girls I’ve met here. She’s so genuine. She’s always been there not just for me but for everyone too. She was putting her point across and I was putting mine. Sonam’s a dear friend of mine. In fact, a couple of weeks back, we met her. We went to her place because we wanted to meet her son (Vayu). Nothing has changed between us.”
Rajkummar is currently also in news for his latest release, Bheed. The film, which provides a glimpse into the challenges faced by many during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been embroiled in controversies right since the makers dropped its trailer. The trailer that compared the mass migration of daily wage workers during the global health crisis to the India-Pakistan partition drew profound criticism. It had to be removed from YouTube and was allowed to be re-released only after it incorporated the cuts approved by the CBFC.
Quiz Rajkummar if the hullabaloo surrounding the film shakes his belief or questions his choice, and he asserts, “Not at all! We were very clear about the intent with which we were making the film. It’s a story that also deals with migrant workers and how they walked back home thousands of kilometers away. Like the rest of us, they were desperate to get back to their roots. Whatever was happening was uncertain and unexpected. Nobody had any idea when things would go back to normal. We all saw those visuals of them walking back home barefoot or on cycles but we didn’t know their stories and what happened to them after that. That’s what we wanted to showcase without any agenda.”
But was he worried about people giving in to the noise and diverting from the core intent of Bheed? “We were very sure of the film that we were making. Now that people have seen it, they’re liking it a lot. We’re happy with the fact that the intent of making Bheed has reached people the right way,” opines the 38-year-old.
The Anubhav Sinha directorial co-starring Bhumi Pednekar hit the big screen yesterday (March 23) and has opened to positive responses. Happy with the feedback that has come their way, Rajkummar says, “The initial response has been great. We’ve had some screenings and the feedback has been overwhelming. People are coming out moved. It made them feel deeply and touched their soul.”
During the pandemic, the Badhaai Do (2022) and Ludo (2020) actors donated an undisclosed amount to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s and Prime Minister’s coronavirus relief fund to help those in need. Revisiting the grim times, he shares, “So many people reached out to me during the lockdowns. The second wave, especially, was horrible and heart-wrenching. I went out of my way and helped as many people as I could, be it financially or by arranging medicines or beds. All of us were doing that. Even though it was a sad situation, the way everybody came together to help each other was beautiful. And that’s what makes us human. It goes on to show that even when tragedy hits, we end up thinking about other people and helping each other out.”
