Gajraj Rao almost said no to Badhaai Ho: ‘I didn’t want director Amit Sharma to face losses because of me’

Though Gajraj Rao has been acting in films since the 1990s, he became a household name with the National Award-winning comedy Badhaai Ho, which released in 2018. In an interview with Rajeev Masand, the actor revealed that he almost did not do the film.

“I would not say reject. I was apprehensive because first of all, it was such a big role. My middle-class values and ethics came into play that the person (Badhaai Ho director Amit Sharma) should not suffer a loss because of me,” he said.

Gajraj was touched that the filmmaker put so much faith in him and wanted to make him a part of the project. He said, “I told him, ‘You can get a big star. The script is powerful.’ He said, ‘Gajraj ji, you are a big actor for me.’ I told him that I will not be able to dance because I have ankylosing spondylitis and I cannot control my body language myself, let alone follow the directions of a choreographer.”

According to Gajraj, “it is very important that the director does not feel handicapped”. He wanted to make sure that Amit knew the pros and cons of casting him.

Though Gajraj got his breakthrough film only in his late 40s, he said that he was overwhelmed by the love and adulation coming his way now.

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Gajraj will be seen next on the big screen in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, which tells the story of two men who fight their families and society for acceptance of their relationship. The actor plays a homophobic father in the film, which also stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta and Jitendra Kumar.

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan is a follow-up to 2017’s Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan. The film is directed by Hitesh Kewalya and will hit the screens on February 21.

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