Two Years of Auditions: The Rajkummar Rao Story
He was one of 20 chosen from 80, and still waited two years for his first film.
Rajkummar Rao grew up in Gurgaon and studied in Delhi, where he did theatre. He cleared three tough rounds for FTII, a written exam, an audition interview and four days of workshops, and was one of 20 selected from 80. You would think that was the hard part. It was not.
1. Graduating is not arriving
After FTII in 2008, he spent the next year visiting studios and meeting casting directors. For two years after graduation he auditioned and found no work.
2. When money runs thin
He has said he could not afford proper T-shirts, and that friends at FTII borrowed money and shared meals. He has also spoken of being left with only ₹18 in his account while he looked for work. The community around him mattered as much as the talent.
3. The look problem
He has said that early on nobody would even audition him for lead roles, because the industry expected leading men to look a certain way. He treated rejection as part of the process.
4. Evenings spent on craft
He has said that after auditions he would go home and work on improvisation and his craft. The days belonged to the industry, but the evenings were his own, for getting better.
5. The break
His first break came with Love Sex Aur Dhokha. He has recalled turning up for that audition in a tight T-shirt and jeans, and being asked if he had any "normal" clothes. He still got the part. Years later, Stree 2 became the highest-grossing film of his career.
6. What artists can take from it
Two years of "no" did not mean he was not good enough. Keep auditioning, keep practising in the evenings, and keep your people close.
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Compiled from Open Magazine, Wikipedia, Deccan Herald, Orissa Post, Bollywood Shaadis and ARY News, as of Nov 1, 2026. The images in this story are AI-generated illustrations.