Rajkummar Rao leaves Farah Khan speechless

Updated: Dec 19, 2017 | 14:46 IST | By - Amann Khuranaa, TIMES NOW

Rajkummar Rao and Farah Khan might come from the same film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, but the two have had wildly different journeys in the screenland. So when such personalities with diverse backgrounds are made to sit together and discuss films, the conversation is bound to be interesting.

READ: Rajkummar Rao hopes' to get international recognition with Newton

Rajkummar and Farah recently participated in a show called Tape Cast for Film Companion where the two had a discussion on a wide range of topics concerning the film industry including nepotism, rumours, ambition and rejections.

In an answer to a question as to how he dealt with the rejections he had to face because his skin complexion was not fair enough for certain roles, Rajkummar says, "I didn't use Fair and Lovely. I was very proud of my skin colour. I am an actor. I am not here to sell my fairness. I used to laugh, actually. I found those people so ignorant. So regressive. They are still stuck in that era - hero matlab gora chitta, 6 foot."

Rajkummar further reveals that he wanted to play a Parsi in a film but was rejected for not being fair enough. It is then Farah cuts him short and says, "But you have to look like a Parsi, no?" Rajkummar then immediately comes up with a reply and tells the Happy New Year director that Naseeruddin Shah had played a Parsi in Pestonjee.

"He has a Parsi nose. He looks exactly Parsi and behaves Parsi also," Farah replies back.

"But I can look Parsi na. Don't you think I can play Parsi?," asks the actor, to which Farah replies in affirmative.

But at the same time, she asserts, "But sometimes it is also to do with how you look. If you are playing an African-American, you can't play it."

It is then Rajkummar cites example of Robert Downey Jr. who played an an African-American in the 2008 film Tropic Thunder, adding that "acting has no limits."

The discussion doesn't end here and Farah once again comes up with a counter and asks Rajkummar, "Terko Nepali ka role denge toh?"
The actor tells the director that Aamir has played a Nepali in a soft drink ad, to which she finally gives up and says, "This guy has an answer for everything."

On the work front, Rajkummar will start work on Raj & DK's horror comedy co-starring Shraddha Kapoor. Farah Khan, on the other hand, hasn't had a film release since Happy New Year (2014).