Rajkummar Rao: I too have abs but am yet to flaunt them

Actor Rajkummar Rao, who won the 61st National Award for the best actor for Shahid, on Wednesday, is yet to come to terms with being lauded at such an early stage of his career. Speaking to Pune Times, moments after winning the award, the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) alumnus said, “This was totally unexpected and I am completely overwhelmed. My heartbeat slowed down after hearing the results and the first thing I did was to call my mother and cry.” He added, “Though I have been a part of some of the best films of our times, I still can’t believe that I have bagged the best actor award at such an early stage of my career.”
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Rao was offered Shahid when Anurag Kashyap, his Gangs of Wasseypur 2 director, recommended him to the film’s director Hansal Mehta.“Hansal Mehta told me that I was the most appropriate choice for the role and I am glad that I took up the the challenge,” he said. Rajkummar’s work has often been compared to that of actors Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. About it he said, “I am a big fan of both and feel proud to be compared to them but I want to pave my own path.”
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Rao has no qualms for not being compared to mainstream Bollywood heroes. He said, “Yes, they have abs and they flaunt them. But, even I have abs and I have a good body. The only difference is that, I have not shown it to anyone yet.”
The actor who has been inundated will calls and compliments said, “It is a great day for me. But I don’t want this success to go to my head and I wish to work harder and win more such awards.
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The actor holds FTII responsible for having groomed him well. “The institute has helped me in a great way. All the credit goes to this institute which has nurtured me as an actor,” he added.
WATCH: RajKumar Rao wind National Award for the film' Shahid'