Rajkummar Rao Recalls Skipping Lunch in His Struggling Days: ‘I Had Rs 18 in My Account’

Rajkummar Rao is a perfect example of how an outsider may succeed in the profession. After nearly 15 years in Bollywood, the actor has established a name for himself by giving consistently powerful performances like Shahid, Bheed, Newton and many more. However, there have been many challenges along the way! Rajkummar, who will soon be featured in the biographical movie Srikanth, recently talked about how he overcame a really difficult period in his early career. He spoke about the terrible reality of his struggles, recalling times when he had to go without food in Mumbai and subsist on Frooti and a packet of Parle-G biscuits.

Rajkummar Rao Recalls Struggling During Initial Days

Rajkummar revealed how he had just Rs 18 left in his bank account in a recent interview with Ranveer Allahabadia. He said, “The most difficult time was facing financial difficulty and getting no work. My mother supported me a lot and when I would run out of money, she would arrange it and send. I remember once I was left with only Rs 18 in my account and that too in a city like Mumbai. I used to spend very frugally. We three used to live in one flat and I used to skip lunch and have one Parle Ji and Frooti for lunch. My lunch would cost me Rs 4 at the time.”

The actor revealed that his mother always made arrangements for him when he didn’t have enough money and that she helped him through difficult times. He also remembered asking his fellow FTII graduates for assistance; they frequently saved his bacon when he was hungry. “Now, the day I was left with only Rs 18, I was thinking what will I do? We have a FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) committee in Mumbai. A lot of our seniors and juniors live here. So, you can ring anybody and ask them what are they having for dinner and if you can come, ” the actor shared.

Rajkummar Looks Back at His Time Before Starting in Bollywood

Rajkummar started his path to become an actor even before moving to Mumbai. reminiscing about his time in Delhi and his commitment to cycle 140 kilometres every day to get to acting school.” I started preparing to become an actor after school. After completing school, I joined Sri Ram Centre in Delhi, it’s an acting school. I was 18 at the time. So, somebody told me to join college for graduation so that I can get a bus pass. In that way, you can save money. I got to know this very late. Before that, I used to go to the acting school on a bicycle and would ride the cycle for 70 km up and down. I would hear songs like ‘Lakshya Ko Har Haal Me Pana Hai,’ ‘Papa Kahte Hain’  and all on my walkman on my way there. It sounds filmy now but it used to be a lot of fun, ” added the ‘Stree‘ actor.

On the work front, Rajkummar Rao will be seen in Srikanth, a film based on the life and hardships of visually impaired businessman Srikant Bolla.  The movie, which is helmed by Tushar Hiranandani and has major roles for Jyotika and Alaya F, is scheduled for release on May 10, 2024.