Gajraj Rao calls Irrfan, Manoj Bajpayee his mentors

Mumbai, Sep 3 (IANS) Actor Gajraj Rao has spoken up about his fellow actors in the industry, who inspire him and make him chase excellence. The actor called legendary thespians Irrfan, Manoj Bajpayee his mentors.

The actor recently appeared on the latest episode of ‘Pehla Pehla’ podcast with Gopal Datt, and looked back at the experiences, people and unexpected turns that shaped his journey from growing up in a modest railway quarter in Delhi to becoming one of the most recognisable faces in Indian cinema.

Gajraj winded the clock backwards, and spoke about discovering his love for cinema through the iconic theatres of Connaught Place, finding his way into theatre and unexpectedly landing his first major stage role. The actor also recollected his early years in Mumbai and the challenges that came his way.

Talking about the same, Gajraj Rao said, “You look for your mentors. I have many mentors. Irrfan, Manoj Bajpayee, they are my mentors. You look at them from a distance and see how they handle themselves. Anil Kapoor maintained himself in the 80s and 90s, and he is still trying to do that kind of work with that energy. Akshay Kumar, people have different opinions. I have worked with him in Jolly LLB 3, and I have changed my opinion about him”.

He further mentioned, “Earlier, I used to hear what kind of person he is. You believe in hearsay. But he is very innocent. He is disciplined. Again, he is continuously working. He might do six things, four of them might be bad. But doing bad things is not a crime. No one has a formula. You never intentionally do bad things”.

He also recalled his initial doubts about TVF and how the journey eventually became another important chapter in his career.

Speaking about one-liner roles, he said, “I remember that one-liner roles are the most difficult. You feel that this is the boat that will take you across the river. I didn’t even show my face in it”.

‘Pehla Pehla’ podcast with Gopal Datt is available to stream on the youtube channel of IVM Pop.

–IANS

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