After Stree, Rajkummar Rao made a big name for himself as the quintessential small-town boy with a simple life. Everyone related to him, and he was effortlessly charming on screen.
However, what started bothering fans was when they began to notice how Rajkummar Rao has been playing the same type of character in almost every film.
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From Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana, Stree, Badhaai Do to Bareilly Ki Barfi, Rao seemed stuck portraying the small-town guy whose overwhelming uselessness is inexplicably packaged as innocent charm.
The secret behind these characters’ appeal is never quite revealed, nor does Rao play them as particularly irresistible. In fact, in most of these films, not only are the protagonists indistinguishable from each other, they’re borderline repulsive.
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Take his latest film Bhool Chuk Maaf, for example. His performance lacked freshness, and his character already felt stale.
His character Ranjan in the film has no distinct qualities or footing. He doesn’t have a single redeeming trait, yet somehow, it’s characters like Ranjan that Rao seems drawn to these days.
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There’s nothing wrong with playing such roles. The issue arises when an actor with Rao’s range continues recycling the same character type just because it was once well-received.
Barring a couple of films where he played cops, like Badhaai Do and Bheed, Rao has largely remained trapped in this small-town routine. Eventually, he’s become the poster boy for cinematic underachievers.
His repeated portrayal of these loafer, manchild characters has led to fears of him being typecast, and for an actor as talented as him, it’s disheartening to see another skilled performer caught in a loop. It’s about time he returns to his roots, not for our sake, but for his own.
