Gajraj Rao debuted as an actor in 1994 with a minor role in Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen and has since worked in many films and web series. He is known for his leading role in Badhaai Ho and supporting roles in movies like Talvar and Blackmail. Besides films and web shows, he has also been experimenting with other forms of storytelling, like a teleplay.
One of his recent projects is Zee Theatre’s teleplay Gunehgaar, directed by Akarsh Khurana. It is a crime drama that also stars Shweta Basu Prasad and Sumeet Vyas.
Talking about his role in the teleplay and why he took it up, Rao told News18, “My role is that of Bansal, who calls himself a businessman. The story unfolds in his house where he has invited an inspector and a crime journalist. I always wanted to work with Akarsh Khurrana, so as soon as I got the opportunity, I took it.”
A teleplay is a play written for television. When asked whether there is a difference in the shooting experience from that of a film or a web series, the actor said, “There isn’t much of a difference, it’s the same camera and set. Just that the way of telling the story is different. It’s a little more slow-paced here, there is no hurry. There are no episodes, the entire story is told in one hour or more.”
Not many know that Rao has been directing ad films for a while and continues to do so alongside his acting career. He has worked with some of the biggest film and sports stars for his ads. “I have directed ad films with Mr Amitabh Bachchan, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and recently with Sourav Ganguly. It’s been an amazing experience with each of them,” he said.
Is he considering directing a feature film anytime soon? “I am working on a script, hopefully will direct it next year,” Rao answered.
One of the raging debates in the industry of late has been the lack of good content on the big screen. But Rao says it depends on people’s preferences. “It is completely subjective. Just like food, each of us have our own preferences. The content of cinema differs from that on OTT. For example, shows like Panchayat or Saas Bahu Aur Achaar are good content on OTT. Streaming platforms have been doing so well for the past 4-5 years. So I think we should give it some time, things will get better,” he said.
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