Raj Arjun worked in Akshay Kumar’s film Rowdy Rathore. He had a small role in the film.
“My name is Raj Arjun. You must have seen me in films like Rowdy Rathore, Secret Superstar, Dear Comrade. People think that if I worked on projects this big, my life must have been very easy, but I had a lot of trouble getting to this point.
I belong to an entrepreneurial family, but when I arrived in Mumbai to make a name for myself in the film world, I had to spend the night on the railway platform. I actually lived in a PG in Mumbai. One day I went to actor Kumud Mishra’s house. It took a long time to come back from that. Entrance was not available at PG late at night. There was no arrangement to stay anywhere else, so we were forced to sleep on the station platform.
However, it was not easy to sleep there either. The people sleeping there said they had to undress and sleep, otherwise the police would consider them criminals and take them away.
There were days when he asked people to give him work. I have endured so much in life that my heart shudders when I remember old times.
Actor Raj Arjun shares his success story in Indianewsget’s office in Mumbai. He said, “I was born in Bhopal. My father was in the crockery business. Mother and her most sincere wish was that we three brothers also progressed in this field. Both brothers made his dream come true, but I chose my own path.
Hearing this, I immediately asked what did the boy from the business family see that made him decide to become an actor?
Raj laughs and says, “I was studying at Saifiya College in Bhopal. One day I went to see a play at Bharat Bhavan. After watching this piece, I thought that I too wanted to do something similar.
Then somehow he started performing plays at Bharat Bhavan. After that, my relationship with drama did not break down. I continued to do theater morning and evening for 10 to 12 years. While working in theatre, I started working in Doordarshan shows.
This photo is from when Raj was doing theater.
You come from a business background, you must not have had much difficulty in Mumbai?
Oh, it’s not like that at all. You can’t find work in the cinema if you are financially solid. I didn’t even have a godfather in the industry. Like ordinary wrestlers, I too had to struggle.
Before film, I had difficulty finding work in the television industry. He visited big production houses to take pictures, but he was always disappointed. However, after a while, my hard work paid off and I started working episodically in TV shows.
After a while, all I had to do was work. Earlier, I easily earned Rs 60,000-65,000 per month, but after a while I settled for working in the television industry. Then I decided to try my luck in cinema.
Hasn’t the struggle in the world of cinema broken your courage?
This has happened several times, but how could anyone turn away from the action? It was my decision, so his struggles were mine too. I didn’t know anything about cinema culture. Because of this, I had to struggle more.
At first, I only got roles for one or two movie scenes. I did only one scene in the 2002 film ‘Company’. For that, I received only two thousand rupees. I’ve been tired of doing this kind of work for a long time. I had come thinking that my name would be among the top players in the industry, but my identity had been suppressed somewhere. Eventually, I took a break and started working on myself again.
So which film did you make your comeback with?
Director Ram Gopal Varma really liked my ball scene in the film society. In return for this scene, he offered me a lead role in the film Shabari. I finished shooting this film in 2005. It seemed like times were about to change, but fate had something else in store. It took 6 years for this film to come out.
How did you cope with this bad phase?
The period from 2005 to 2011 was the worst period of my life. There was a lack of trust. It seemed like I couldn’t do anything better. I had no job. I was dying to get to work. Imagine that circumstances were such that I was willing to work even for free.
One day I went to a friend of mine crying and said, “Please find me a job in television. She was scared when she saw my condition because my whole body was shaking. He said: Did you come back drunk? I said that wasn’t the case. I just want work. I want to work. The friend took pity on me and got me a job in a TV show “Banegi Apni Baat”. However, later the channel people deleted my part.
I also worked on Anurag Kashyap’s film Black Friday. That’s why I knew Anurag. When there was no work, I had asked Anurag for work several times. After a while, I felt that they were starting to ignore me as well. Then I stopped asking them for work too.
Truth be told, I felt sorry for my own state. I used to cry and think that even after shooting such a big film, I was wandering from door to door looking for work.
Given your condition, has your wife never asked any questions?
She was the only one who trusted me more than me. When she couldn’t find work, her family members pressured her to go into business, but she said she would get both work and rewards. Every time I felt very sad, I cried and rested my head on his shoulders. My wife is very lucky for me, after her arrival, everything in life improved.
Secondly, my daughter Sara Arjun also supported me a lot in every bad moment. Sara is also active in theater. She has worked in Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai’s films.
You also worked in Akshay Kumar’s film Rowdy Rathore. How lucky were you with this film?
The most interesting thing is that today more people know me thanks to the role of Rowdy Rathore. It also surprises me because my scene in the film is much less surprising. I chose this film because of its look. In fact, when the offer for this film came, I was going through the worst time of my life. The beard had grown, it had become very thick. The designers needed a similar look, so they cast me.
Raj also worked with Rashmika Mandanna in the film Dear Comrade. Vijay Deverakonda was also in this film.
Did the film Secret Superstar bring you the recognition you dreamed of?
Yes, this film gave me a real identity. Thanks to this, I regained my confidence and self-respect. The story of getting a job in this film is also interesting. In fact, one day I went to casting director Mukesh Chhabra’s office with my daughter. My daughter’s audition was inside and I was sitting outside. Then Mukesh came and said – Hey, where were you for so many days, you never came.
What if I would have told him that I was tired of demanding work. I thought it best to avoid the matter by laughing. Then he said that casting is going on for Aamir Khan’s film Secret Superstar and my guy also has a role.
The next day, I auditioned for the role, which Aamir Sir really liked, but I didn’t get any feedback for a long time. When I asked Mukesh about it, he said, “I am no longer part of his casting team. You’re not one of them either. Its cast went back to Abhishek-Anmol.
Hearing this, I had another shock. Only a few days had passed when a call came from Abhishek-Anmol’s office for another hearing. I went to an audition, but I couldn’t perform well. I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to be a part of this film, but a miracle happened and Aamir sir cast me on the basis of the first audition. Finally, after 18 years, I got the movie I had come to this town to wish for.
Have you reached the stage of success you wanted to achieve?
There was a storm after the release of Secret Superstar. Many people began to approach. Then I also started getting job offers from South Industry. I worked in Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna’s film Dear Comrade. Also seen in Kangana’s film Thalaivi in 2021. Recently, my film Yudhra released. People also give him a lot of love.
Today I can say that I have reached the stage of success where I wanted to see myself. No longer recommending people for work at all. I don’t even show people my accomplishments, so they don’t feel like I’m indirectly asking for work. Now my only wish is that my work is noticed, so that I continue to work and always stay busy.