Newton was an impulsive decision, says Rajkummar Rao

Rajkummar Rao is having a successful run in the box office. After receiving critical acclaim for films like Trapped, the actor finally got a commercial hit with Bareilly Ki Barfi. The actor will be seen in his fifth film with his latest release, Newton. In an interview, he talks about his role as the idealistic government servant and more.

Rajkummar, in your latest release, you are playing the modern-day extension of Dharmendra in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Satyakam. How do you make the shift from playing the hardcore terrorist in Omerta to the sincere honest government clerk in Newton?
Every character has its own challenges. I can personally connect to Newton’s (the character) ideologies and principles but Omar in Omerta is someone I had to work really hard to understand. That’s the fun of being an actor. You get to such different spaces and worlds. It makes you more aware as a person.

How did the role in Newton come your way? And how did you ensure that the character’s uprightness didn’t make him sanctimonious and dull?
I’ve known Amit Masurkar (the director) since my first film. He was shooting the making of Love Sex Aur Dhokha. I was always very fond of him and also heard lot of great things about Sulemani Keeda. Manish Mundra our producer, he called me one day and told me about Newton. I instantly liked the idea and met Amit for a script reading session. I immediately said yes. It was an impulsive decision. I really liked his vision and his subtle humour in the script and of course Newton talks about something so relevant.

You shot in some very tough territory for Newton. Does the authentic location help you stay in character?
Real locations always help me to perform. It gives you an idea of space and puts you right there. You don’t have to worry about imagining the space you’re in, while filming it. I always prefer shooting in real locations than a set.

What was it like working in Chhattisgarh?
My idea of Chhattisgarh was very different, especially the interior region, but once we landed there, it was so beautiful. It’s untouched beauty — people there are so nice and welcoming. We never faced any single problem during our stay there. People were going out of their way to help us. I met some indigenous people on our set who are also our actors in the film. There is so much to learn from these people. They’re always smiling and very happy with their lives. This kind of purity is very rare to find these days.

Not too many films are made about idealistic government officers. Do you think our country needs more Newtons to be able to get out of the morass of corruption and lethargy?
We definitely need one Newton from every constituency to make this world a better and fair place. There is a Newton inside all of us; we just have to wake him up.

This is an enormously prolific year for you? Are you enjoying the rush hour and how are you coping with the volume of work?
It’s a very interesting year for me. I took up a lot of different films. I hope this journey continues. I just want to keep doing exciting work and keep this fire burning.