Hansal Mehta on Rajkummar Rao: I marvel at his dedication

With a breathtaking performance in ‘Trapped’, Rajkummar Rao got us in awe of him. That soon followed with ‘Behen Hogi Teri’, that was a light-hearted comedy. While Rajkummar awaits the release of his romantic comedy ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, he is also working on ALTbalaji’s next original series on Subhash Chandra Bose.

Titled ‘Bose- Dead or Alive’, the series will be helmed by celebrated director Hansal Mehta, who is an absolute admirer of Rao’s work. The filmmaker has earlier worked with the actor on projects like ‘Shahid’, ‘Aligarh’, CityLights’, and even the upcoming ‘Omerta’. It is not a surprise for him to be in awe of Rajkummar, who has proved his versatility and worth with the divergent roles he played in each of these movies.

“I marvel at his dedication. His transformation is never just physical. Even here, he immersed himself in understanding Bose. I am hopeful that the show will make our countrymen more informed about one of our most charismatic heroes,” he told Mid-Day in a conversation. (Also Read: The new poster of ‘Daddy’ has Arjun Rampal in two shades)

Rajkummar, in order to look authentic as Bose, has shaved off the frontal portion of his head, since he believed using prosthetic might not bring him the genuine look.

“When I started shooting for the show in Kolkata, I was on cloud nine. Bose had a layered personality. I wish more people would pick up from this fraction of history and present the stories on screen.

I read every possible account of Bose and his journey. Thankfully, a lot of material is available. A few documentaries had archival footage of him. Those clips helped me understand his body language and voice,” the actor himself told the publication.

The trailer of the web series will release on August 18. After watching the teaser, we definitely are excited to watch even more shades of Rajkummar as Subhash Chandra Bose.

Ranjini Maitra

Journalist. Writer. Reader. Enthu cutlet. Mood-swing machine. Day dreamer. Sandwiched between ‘live life fully’ and ‘lose some weight’. Mantra of life: Love and love more.