Rajkummar Rao Unfazed By Invasive Pap Culture Despite Being ‘Followed': ‘They're Really Sweet'

News18

09-07-2025

Last Updated:
Rajkummar Rao says that he isn't an introvert but a fiercely 'private' person and states that he doesn't believe in sharing moments from his personal life on social media.
Bollywood's growing displeasure with the paparazzi culture is no secret. Earlier, a bunch of female actors came forth to share their discomfort about being clicked from behind and zoomed in despite their hesitation. Recently, Kajol also criticised photographers for invading an actor's personal space and spoke about how she finds it disturbing to be followed. Varun Dhawan too called them out for covering celebrity deaths with no empathy and sensitivity.
Now, speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, Rajkummar says that though he remains a private person, he remains unfazed with the paparazzi following him out and about in the city. 'That constant attention is very recent. It started a few years back. It wasn't always like this. When I'm not working, I spend most of my time at home with people who I love and adore. It's only when I step out that you see my pictures. But to be honest, our paparazzi are very sweet and really understanding," he tells us.
While he gives in to their requests sometimes, Rajkummar asserts that he doesn't like public glare on moments from his personal life. 'They now know my car number and sometimes follow me. They sometimes catch me in the moment to get some pictures clicked. But apart from that, I live my life very privately. I don't feel the need to talk about what I'm doing every moment. I only use Instagram and that too, to mostly share my work and the things in my life that are important. I'm not someone to put up an Instagram story every hour or day," he shares.
However, he's quick to point out that he's no introvert. 'If I've to be social and outgoing, I can be that around my people. I don't need too many people to talk to. But my preference would be to have like-minded people around me so that we can have either some really intense conversations or do some really random things and have stupid talks." And it's this ambivalence that has led him to 'never struggle with shedding inhibitions' before the camera. 'I feel the most comfortable between action and cut. That's where I come alive the most," he remarks.
And this inner silence is perhaps why method acting doesn't deter him. Years ago, he isolated himself and limited interactions with people to slip under the skin of his character in Vikramaditya Motwane's Trapped. And he's ready to do it all over again if a film requires him to do so. Additionally, every time he retreats into a shell as part of prep work, he has his wife Patralekhaa to thank for 'understanding his process'.
'I would love to do it again when time allows and the character gives me that opportunity. That, for me, is the best thing about being an actor. I'm very glad that Patralekhaa's also an actor and she totally gets my process. But I'm not somebody who takes my characters back home. When I come back home to her, I'm Raj and I'm exactly how she knows me as," says the Bhool Chuk Maaf and Stree actor.
First Published:
July 10, 2025, 04:49 IST
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