Gajraj Rao says he doesn't feel bad about staying in 5-star hotels: ‘I’ve worked hard for 25-30 years’

Senior actor Gajraj Rao recently opened up about having financial security in life after decades of working in the industry. He said he has no qualms about admitting that he likes splurging on himself and his family. He said he likes expensive phones, 5-star hotels and likes to travel in business class now. Also read: Gajraj Rao recalls having only six rupees in his pockets

Gajraj Rao's journey

Gajraj Rao debuted in 1994 with a small role in Shekhar Kapur's film Bandit Queen, after spending days doing theatre in Delhi. Since then he starred as supporting characters in several films including Talvar, Blackmail and TVF's Fathers and Tech Conversations with Dad. He gained recognition and even more attention after starring in Badhaai Ho, opposite Neena Gupta.

Gajraj Rao on financial security

Talking about his journey, Gajraj recently told Varun Duggi on his podcast, “I like having financial security now because I’ve worked hard for 25-30 years. I like expensive phones, travelling, and staying in nice hotels, I have no shame in admitting this. I don’t want to feel bad about staying in 5-star hotels and travelling business class. I want it for myself, and I want it for my family; I want to give them the best possible. I don’t want to be in two minds if someone falls ill and needs a hospital.”

Gajraj Rao on struggling days

During the same conversation, he also added, “I did a lot of jobs, and I didn’t have the proper support system around me to guide me in the right direction. At one point, the financial situation was very difficult. It’s easy for me to say this now, in an air-conditioned environment, but when you don’t have food, all your dreams and fantasies go for a toss. And it was important at that time to provide for the family.” This topic popped up when Gajraj discussed how once a casting director told him to reduce his fees and he refused citing his struggles in the career so far and called it his ‘homework.’

Gajraj was recently seen in Kartik Aaryan’s Satyaprem Ki Katha. In the film, he played the role of Kartik's father. The film also starred Kiara Advani. Gajraj will be next seen in Ajay Devgn's Maidaan.