Meet actor who worked as tailor, freelance writer, has been active in films from 90s, became star at 47, earns...

In the film industry, we have seen actors getting their due after years of struggle and hard work. Today we will discuss an artiste, who has been active in films for 30 years and got his due in his mid-40s. This actor is also an ad filmmaker and has been seen in several projects, doing supporting roles. However, he became a star after giving a stellar performance in Badhaai Ho. Yes, we are talking about Gajraj Rao. 

Gajraj Rao's early life 

Born in 1971, in Dungarpur, Rajasthan, Gajraj hails from a middle-class family. His father worked with the Indian Railways. So, he lived in different railway colonies with his parents across the country. His interactions with people from the states like  Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh, helped him mimic different dialects. 

When Gajraj got smitten by an acting bug

While studying at Delhi University, Gajraj was enamoured with theatre after attending a showing of Sandhya Chhaya. Then, he joined the theatre group Act One alongside Ashish Vidyarthi and Manoj Bajpayee.

Before films Gajraj worked as 

As per IMDb, before joining films, he worked as a tailor at Iqbal Tailors, New Delhi. Reportedly, he even worked as a freelance writer for Hindustan Times and Navbharat. He even got a job writing scripts for Doordarshan. 

Who introduced Gajraj Rao to the film industry? 

Gajraj Rao was introduced to director Shekhar Kapur by his friend, filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia. Shekhar was impressed with Rao, and he offered him the small but important role of Ashok Chand Thakur in Bandit Queen (1994). Since then, Gajraj has been seen making note-worthy appearances in Dil Se (1998), Aks (2001), and Black Friday (2004). He also played villain in Aamir (2008) and earned recognition. Rao further gained popularity with his role as Dhani Ram in Talwar (2015). 

When Gajraj Rao got his due

In 2018, Gajraj Rao was seen playing a supporting lead in Aayushmann Khurrana-starrer Badhaai Ho. Rao was paired with Neena Gupta, and the film revolved around them. Badhaai Ho became a blockbuster, and Gajraj became a star performer,  gaining widespread acclaim. His performance in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020), was also appreciated and further helped him. For the web series Maja Ma, Gajraj Rao was reportedly paid Rs 1.25 crores. On the work front, Gajraj was last seen in Ajay Devgn's Maidaan.

Read: This actor lost father at 5, worked as bus conductor, became superstar, later faced bankruptcy because...