People Were Surprised I Hadn’t Changed After 'Stree 2': Rajkummar Rao On The Box-Office Trap

Rajkummar Rao has had a remarkable year at the movies, with four releases, including both smaller films like Srikanth and Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, as well as the massive success Stree 2. The latter, made on a budget of ₹ 60 crore, went on to earn over ₹ 800 crore globally, becoming the second highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

However, despite his blockbuster success, Rao is cautious about the pressure of box office numbers and warns against getting trapped by them.

At the recent actor’s roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter India, the actor reflected on the unpredictable nature of the film industry:

"Nobody knows what's going to work at the box office. You start to make decisions on the basis of what might work well at the box office. But I don’t want to do that. It’s a trap," Rao said. “I still would do a Srikanth, I still would do a Maalik or the next one that we are doing. For me, it’s not only about the box office. To be honest, I’m elated that Stree 2 did what it did. It feels great when someone says your film is the biggest Hindi box-office ever. But I know some other film would come and break that record. And then Stree 3 will come…" (laughs)

Despite the success of Stree 2, Rao remains grounded. "A lot of people were surprised that I hadn’t changed. But why should I?" he shared. "I’m sure they’ve seen other actors change after such a big box-office success. But for me, it’s the film. I loved being a part of Stree 2. I love that family, I love that team so much that I would work with them again and again, no matter if it does the same numbers or not. Because we all enjoy what we do together."

Rao also explained the careful approach to Stree 2, revealing that the six-year gap between the first and second films was intentional. “We wanted to be sure of the script. It wasn’t about capitalising on Stree’s success immediately. We wanted to make sure we had the right story.”

For Rao, the joy of acting and the creative process remain the driving forces behind his career, and not the pressure to break records. "I’ve never wanted to be an actor to do this. I never wanted to break any kind of records. I wanted to do this because I really loved it," he said.

"I love playing different characters on screen, and that’s my high. And as long as my producers are making money, I’m not signing films with ₹ 200 crore budgets. I’m still doing these small films, ₹ 40 crore, ₹ 45 crore, because I know my producers wouldn’t suffer a loss, and all of us would go back home happy, proud of what we’ve done. That’s the thing.”

Ultimately, Rao emphasised his belief that the box office is just one part of the larger picture. "This box-office is a trap," he said.