Rajkummar Rao: Five Hindi Movies where the Actor featured in smaller but effective roles

In a movie brimming with incredible talents from Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Piyush Mishra, Jaideep Ahlawat and Vineet Kumar Singh, Rajkummar Rao was innocent and reticent as Shamshad Alam. Thank you Anurag Kashyap for introducing some really talented actors through your films.

Playing the role of Lokenath Bal, an Indian independence activist and a member of the armed resistance movement led by Surya Sen during the Chittagong uprising, Rajkummar was restrained and composed, holding his own in the presence of Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Sadly, the movie did not get its share of attention as a similar movie by director Ashutosh Gowariker was made starring Abhishek Bachchan in the lead, titled, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey

As sub inspector Devrath Kulkarni, subordinate to Aamir Khans Surjan Singh Shekhawat, Rao was emphatic and co-operative towards his boss. The opportunity to work with Aamir was what made Rao instantly say yes to the role.

As the unscrupulous Inspector Malwankar who bribes five friends on the run, Rao was a revelation, boasting of tremendous potential, in just his third feature film.

Believe it or not, the actor only has a five-second appearance in this Ram Gopal Verma directed film, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Kichcha Sudeep and Riteish Deshmukh.

Today, Rajkummar Rao is Hindi cinemas most bankable leading man, but nearly a decade ago, the actor was a young struggler looking to work with reputable names and films. We bring you five such films where the actor made significant impact in smaller roles.