Actor Rahaao believes in baby steps before taking a big stride. The UPite has completed a decade in Mumbai and calls it as his learning period than struggle.
“Meri pyaas initi gehri hai ki mujhe kabhi pareshani nahi hoti (My thirst to learn is so great that nothing is ever a problem for me). I have gone through very tough times in these last 10 years, but I never felt it was a struggle. This is my dream, and I am on a path to achieve it, so all this is my learning,” says the actor who comes from Lukmanpur Baheda village in Shahjahanpur.
The actor has featured in films like The Attack of 26/11, Baby, Special 26, Killing Veerappan and recently in Shershaah.
“Sometimes I even wonder how I managed to reach here! In my village, we did not have a radio or TV. We are a family of farmers, and as a child, I remember delivering milk cans. Mine is the first generation in the family which went to school,” tells Rahaao.
He recalls watching a patriotic play where freedom fighter Bhagat Singh’s brother, Kartar Singh was present. “I was in Class 5 then and decided that this is what I wanted to do. For graduation, I went to Shahjahanpur where I started doing plays with different theatre groups. I tried for NSD but could not get through. In my third attempt, I got through Bhartendu Natya Akademi (2008), Lucknow. Padma Sri Raj Bisaria saheb and our director Suryamohan Kulshresthaji were my mentors. I did many plays under Rajji including the lead in King Lear.”
Soon, he got a play Shifa of which he did 50 shows throughout the country and saving some money, left for Mumbai. “My film role was in Special 26 in which I was in the title of 26 people but technically I was in a crowd. In Ram Gopal Verma ’s Attacks of 26/11 I played Abu Ismail who was the leader of the terrorist gang followed by Killing Veerrapan in which I had a good role. I also acted in Les Cowboys, Neerja, Kissebaaz, Indian’s Most Wanted and Shershaah in which most roles are of Pakistani characters.”
{{/usCountry}}Soon, he got a play Shifa of which he did 50 shows throughout the country and saving some money, left for Mumbai. “My film role was in Special 26 in which I was in the title of 26 people but technically I was in a crowd. In Ram Gopal Verma ’s Attacks of 26/11 I played Abu Ismail who was the leader of the terrorist gang followed by Killing Veerrapan in which I had a good role. I also acted in Les Cowboys, Neerja, Kissebaaz, Indian’s Most Wanted and Shershaah in which most roles are of Pakistani characters.”
{{/usCountry}}He has restricted himself from doing TV and advertisements. “I am focusing on films and OTT. I have played the lead in a 49-minute monochrome film Chalne Do which has gone to many festivals. After the lockdown, I shot for the series Mum Bhai and have also done a role in Akshay (Kumar) sir’s film Raksha Bandhan.”
Rahaao is eying big roles but is content with doing small roles in big projects too. “I am fine with small roles in mega projects, as in them, besides acting, I present myself to the cast and crew who later become filmmakers themselves. Be it RGV or Neeraj (Pandey) sir, all have repeated me many times. I am not in a hurry and am here to play a long innings. Trust me, it’s very tough to sustain even today but I never think of quitting and will surely make it big. I believe my time has come,” says the actor.