“It’s easiest to abuse someone.” In this interview with “We Are Yuvaa”, RajKummar Rao shared how he hustled his way into Bollywood, and discussed how body shaming can affect mental health.
📹: Yuvaa
📹: Yuvaa
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Body shaming? Anywhere. I think it's just a wrong thing.
00:02He can traumatize someone so much.
00:04Some people cannot take it.
00:05It's of course very sad what happened with Prachi.
00:17One of my favorite stories about you is Hans's story.
00:20Many people have told me that during Shahid's time,
00:22he said no to you.
00:24And then you kept going back.
00:25Yeah, he refused to meet me.
00:26Yeah, and you kept going back.
00:28I had to. There was no other option.
00:30I had to. Even for my first film, LSD.
00:32I kept calling our casting director, Atul Mongia.
00:34Till one day he got fed up.
00:36Because at that time, they would say,
00:38send the pictures.
00:39Of course, he must be getting a thousand calls
00:40that Dibaag Hai Banerjee is making a film.
00:42We need new people.
00:43But I kept calling him.
00:44Till one day he said, you know what,
00:46just come and give the audition.
00:47I said, I had to listen to this.
00:48And then of course, I ended up meeting him
00:50and then got the film, luckily.
00:52Same with Hansal sir.
00:53So I think you can't have an ego.
00:56You know, when you're looking for work,
00:58you can't have an ego.
00:59That's being lazy, I feel.
01:02Because no one will come to your house
01:04and ring the bell.
01:04That you sent that photo, right?
01:06I really liked it.
01:07Come, the car is waiting outside.
01:09You have to keep going and have to hustle.
01:12You have to hustle.
01:13There's no other way.
01:14Being an outsider, that's the only way, I feel.
01:17So again, like with Hansal sir,
01:18when I got to know about Shahid,
01:20I met Mukesh Shabda.
01:24I said, brother, you talk to him.
01:26And he also suggested my name to Hansal sir.
01:28But he was looking for someone else at that time.
01:30He was thinking of making Shahid with someone else.
01:34Then I was shooting for Wasseypur.
01:36Then I think Anurag sir also told him
01:39that you should meet Raj.
01:40But again, I think he was not really convinced.
01:44Till one day, I landed up at his office.
01:46I was standing outside like how you have an office.
01:48I was standing outside and I told him,
01:51Mukesh bhai, I've reached.
01:52Tell him that I'm standing outside.
01:54And he called me and said, he's standing outside.
01:55I said, meet him for a couple of minutes.
01:57And he said, okay, send him.
01:59And then I met him and I think we just connected.
02:02Then and there, we connected.
02:03Then I had to convince his producer, Mrs. Sunil Bohra.
02:07Luckily, I think a week after,
02:09Ragini MMS released, my second film.
02:12And then Hansal sir took him to watch the film,
02:15some night show.
02:16And then he saw the film and he's like,
02:17it's really good, let's take it.
02:21As a compliment, of course.
02:22Just before we sat down,
02:23we were talking about
02:25that topper, young girl, Prachi.
02:28Just because she has different kind of facial hair,
02:31people are not willing to understand.
02:33Also, it's the easiest thing.
02:34It's the easiest thing to abuse someone.
02:35You have a phone at home.
02:37And especially because of social media,
02:40you can abuse anyone.
02:41Because you're a faceless person.
02:44So, it's become very easy.
02:45That's the easiest thing in life.
02:47That you can sit and abuse someone.
02:49If you can achieve even 2%
02:51of what that person has achieved,
02:53then we can talk.
02:55You're not able to do that.
02:56You're frustrated with that.
02:58So, you're just sitting and abusing.
03:00So, I think that's...
03:03Of course, very sad what happened with Prachi.
03:06So proud of her, what she has done.
03:07I think it's amazing.
03:08And I'm sure she would be a very, very,
03:11very successful person in life.
03:13But yeah, it's a harsh reality.
03:15I'm sure there's still a long way,
03:17of course, a very, very long way
03:19for us to cover.
03:24Only Thanos can do it.
03:51Body shaming, anywhere.
03:52I think it's just a wrong thing.
03:54To bully someone for their appearance.
03:59It's the worst thing you can do to a person.
04:02And it can traumatize someone so much.
04:04Some people are strong.
04:05Some people can take it.
04:06Some people cannot take it.
04:08And it can really scar you for life.
04:10I know in my circle back in Gurgaon,
04:13I know in my extended family,
04:15I have someone I won't name,
04:17but very young, you know, 12, 11, 12 year old.
04:22Telling me that how getting bullied in school
04:26because of whatever, appearance.
04:29And then of course, I try and talk to them
04:32and tell them kids, you know, don't worry.
04:34Like you actually, you answer back.
04:36You tell them now, you talk to them,
04:38tell them, tell your teacher, tell your parents.
04:41You need to talk about it.
04:42Don't keep it to your heart.
04:45But it's happening.
04:46It's happening from a very, very young age
04:48to kids in our schools.
04:50I think we, as parents, as teachers,
04:54we have to be very, very careful
04:55because it can really scar someone.