Bollywood never ceases to amaze, from the films we watch to the series we binge, it all hinges on a willing suspension of disbelief. We’ve readily accepted 60-year-olds playing 24-year-olds on screen, because cinema has the power to shape not just stories but also an actor’s image. That’s exactly what happened to Gajraj Rao after Badhaai Ho. In a recent episode of Mid-day’s podcast series The Bombay Film Story, the actor talked about how he began receiving offers to play elderly roles, including the father of stars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, who are, in fact, older than him.
Gajraj Rao on playing father to older actors
While sharing how he’s become the go-to elderly man on screen, Gajraj Rao said it’s less about age and more about approaching each role differently. “There are very few roles written within the framework of someone in their 50s,” he explained. He also revealed that he has been offered roles to play the father of actors who are actually older than him, adding, “Obviously, I’m not as smart as Salman or SRK, or even Akshay Kumar, who is slightly older than me but looks much younger, youthful, and lively.”
Gajraj Rao has no complaints
That said, Rao has no complaints about the roles he gets, as he understands the nature of the industry and the competition. “I have no complaints about that. I’m an actor, and 5,000 other people are ready to take that part. It’s not like someone is forcing me to do it,” he asserted.
Even after repeatedly being offered roles within the same age bracket, he’s never felt it was monotonous, and for that, he credits his father as a source of inspiration. “I remember my father as an example. For 30 years, he worked the same railway job, went to the same office every day, yet he never once said, ‘Man, life has become so monotonous,’” Gajraj shared.
Gajraj Rao on Thai Massage
Citing an example of how he tries to bring variety to his roles as an elderly man, he pointed to his much-loved film Thai Massage. “In Thai Massage, there’s a 70-year-old man who is alone, a widower, his wife has passed away. Imtiaz produced it, and Mangesh Hadawale directed it, and I found that story really interesting. Initially, I thought, ‘Will there be sleaze in this?’ Because it’s about an old man going to Thailand. But the way it was crafted, and it`s unfortunate that it didn’t reach a wider audience, those who did watch it really appreciated it.”