Rajkummar Rao reveals some in queer community weren’t happy with Badhaai Do before its release: ‘A straight person is playing…’

Rajkummar Rao reveals some in queer community weren't happy with Badhaai Do before its release: ‘A straight person is playing…’

As a dedicated follower of Hindi cinema, I find myself deeply moved by Rajkummar Rao‘s commitment to portraying diverse characters, regardless of their sexual orientation. The controversy surrounding his role as a gay man in Badhaai Do was undoubtedly a contentious issue, but seeing him tackle such complex roles with sensitivity and grace is truly commendable.


Queer representation in Hindi cinema has always been a subject of scrutiny as the people of the LGBTQIA+ community feel that queer actors should be considered to play such characters. The same thing happened when Rajkummar Rao played a gay man in the 2022 film Badhaai Do. Being cis-gendered and heterosexual, Rao faced backlash from some queers but all of it turned into appreciation post-release.

In a recent conversation with News18, Rajkummar Rao spoke about the initial reactions to his portrayal of a gay character in Badhaai Do, where many individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community expressed displeasure that a straight actor was cast. However, upon the film’s release, those same individuals reached out to him personally, expressing satisfaction that he took on the role. They connected with it because they felt it was authentic, according to Rao.

In a straightforward manner, the 39-year-old individual expressed that those involved post-production recognized the filmmakers’ intentions as beneficial for the community, and they didn’t mean to mock anyone. Directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni and produced by Junglee Pictures, Badhaai Do served as a spiritual successor to the 2018 box office hit, Badhaai Ho.

The central theme of the film was a ‘lavender marriage’ and featured prominent performances by Bhumi Pednekar, Gulshan Devaiah, Chum Darang, Sheeba Chaddha, and Seema Pahwa in pivotal roles.

In the same discussion, Rajkummar shared that he selects and experiments with various roles to prevent his fans from labeling him as only doing specific genres of movies. He expressed his desire to explore all types of cinema – comedy, drama, biopics, horror-comedies, action – and emphasized that he doesn’t want to be confined to a particular category. This intentional choice keeps him motivated and excited as an actor, constantly pushing himself to take on diverse characters.

Right now, Rajkummar Rao is basking in the triumph of his latest release, Stree 2. This horror-comedy features Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana in significant roles, and it’s almost ready to join the Rs 500 crore club. The movie has far exceeded its budget and is being hailed as an all-time blockbuster.

On the work front, Rajkummar will be next seen in Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video and Bhul Chuk Maaf.

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2024-08-26 13:52