Rajkummar Rao is one of the most creative and versatile actors in Bollywood. So far the actor has had a pretty interesting year, with him giving some commendable performances in movies like 'Trapped' and 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' among others. The actor has always tried to experiment with his film roles and 'Newton' here is no exception. The actor reportedly stated that he will continue to take up roles which are challenging.
When speaking about his character Nutan Kumar aka Newton, the actor stated, "I think we have not seen a character like Newton for a very long time. Somebody who is so idealistic and wants to bring in a change and the way it is being told is different. It is so funny and quirky and humorous and at the same time, it is a black comedy. So, I thought it talks about something very important but in a very light way which is very intriguing."
On his choice of characters, Rajkummar said, "After finishing my films, I try and take off for a couple of days and try to travel and take it out of my system and then prepare for my next. That is what I did with Newton, I finished Trapped then moved on to do this movie. Newton is all about honesty and sincerity of the character and that is what I was trying to imbibe in my personal life too. I tried and live the life with a lot of discipline, sincerity, and honesty in whatever I was doing. Then, of course, there is the physical thing which we thought of, that he will have curly hair and I kept that little blink in my eyes which hopefully work for the character. The script was so beautifully written that there was so much I took from it."
Since the movie revolves around an election process, when Rajkummar was asked if he felt the need to question the process in our country, he stated, "I did not really question but I think it is a great administration. I think the way they function is commendable. They spend so many millions of rupees to conduct fair elections. What I realised from the stories that I have heard is that they had a booth for just one voter in the jungle once. I really believe that voting is the most important tool that we have as a democracy and we have to realise the importance of it."
When asked if he faced any problems while shooting for the movie, he said, "I was a little scared before going there. It was natural to be scared but then once I went there I realised that it is so beautiful and untouched. I remember we were shooting in the jungle with some locals who are also acting in the movie and they are so amazing and wonderful. They were always smiling and had no complaints. There is so much I learnt from these people to just be happy with their lives and not really complain about everything. We didn't face any problem as such though we were aware of the Naxal presence."
The actor also expressed his excitement for 'Newton' winning an award at the Berlin International Film Festival. He stated, "It was fantastic. It is one of the most prestigious international festivals and Newton won an award there so it was one of the happiest moments for me. I am very proud of the film. It is something I can be proud of even after 50 years. The contribution of Newton to Hindi cinema will be huge."
While talking about his expectations from the film, he said, "Expectations are always the same that more and more people come and watch the film but I don't want to only think of that because that is something which is beyond my control. I can't really control that. I can only control what we do with my films, the wave is changing and I am hopeful that the film will be watched by a lot of people."
When asked what character the actor would like to play next, he said, "I don't know. I don't have personal favourites till now and I don't want to really find any comfort zone. I want to push myself. I could have never imagined myself playing Netaji onscreen but that has happened. I hope someone offers me a part which I would have never imagined to pull off."
(Also read: Rajkummar Rao: Since the day I started out, I always wanted to be part of good stories)
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Credits: PINKVILLA