With six releases ahead, Rajpal wants to reinvent himself
This year, I have six prominent releases,” says Rajpal Yadav, who has featured in “200 films in the last 20 years”. He adds, “Every year, I have almost 10 film releases which might be a commercial or off beat, ensemble or a solo release. I want to reinvent myself and try to do different roles in the new decade. I have studied at the National School of Drama and Bhartendu Natya Academy, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. I have done theatre for seven years and for me, acting is my life.”
Rajpal says that earlier, he took on roles “for the satisfaction of the audience and to entertain them and at times, to work with certain established filmmakers”. “Now, I want to find happiness and satisfaction in what I do and let audiences enjoy my work,” he adds.
The actor, who found success in negative roles with a comic element, has featured in comic roles for most of his career. He even played the leading character in some films. “I don’t believe in comedy roles but in entertaining characters. I keep working on my craft and trying to better myself. I work with a certain discipline to elevate my performance in each film. An actor’s hunger is immense, and when you get creative, then there is no stopping them. Kehte hai ki kala jitni bikharti hai, utni nikharti hai. Other than the six supporting roles in commercial films, I have lead roles in five films releasing this year, too,” he shares.
Rajpal is glad that the filmmakers he works with, have always worked with him repeatedly. He has worked with filmmaker David Dhawan often, including Judwaa 2 (2017) and Main Tera Hero (2014). “Now, I am in David sir’s Coolie No 1. Priyadarshan sir (director) hadn’t made any films in the last few years, but I am excited to be featuring in his next — Hungama 2. Ramuji (Ram Gopal Varma; filmmaker) hadn’t made a Hindi film for a while, but when he did, he called me. I feel blessed to be loved and respected by these accomplished filmmakers,” he says, adding his other releases this year are Hungama 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Bole Chudiyaan.