When it comes to the most talented heroes of contemporary Bollywood, Rajkumar Rao’s name is bound to pop up in the conversation. From socio-political dramas like Newton and Aligarh to rib-tickling comedies like Stree and Bareilly Ki Barfi, we have compiled the definitive list of Rajkumar Rao’s best movies along with a handy guide on streaming them all.
Where to stream Rajkumar Rao’s filmography?
Prime Video, ZEE5, Jio Cinema, Eros Now and many more offer Rajkumar Rao’s best movies to watch. Netflix, in particular, has many original titles starring him with titles like The White Tiger, Monica O My Darling, and the TV series Guns & Gulaabs. As for Rao’s OTT series debut Bose: Dead/Alive, you can stream it on Alt Balaji.
If you wish to watch Rajkumar Rao’s best works in chronological order of his career, here’s a concise look at his humble origins and meteoric rise.
Low-budget cult hits and memorable supporting roles
Initially entering the industry as Rajkumar Yadav, the actor made his presence felt with small but memorable parts in acclaimed dramas like Anurag Kashyap’s crime epic Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2. On the side, he bagged lead roles in low-budget found-footage thrillers like the erotic horror Ragini MMS and the anthology drama Love Sex Aur Dhokha. Both movies turned out to be sleeper hits, bringing Rao some attention.
The actor followed up his act with supporting appearances in acclaimed dramas like the psychological neo-noirs Shaitan and Talaash (playing a policeman in both), and Queen in which he played the condescending boyfriend to Kangana Ranaut’s protagonist.
But while all these roles got him work, it was his heartwarming turn as a maths tuition teacher in the slice-of-life drama Kai Po Che. Sharing impeccable chemistry with the late Sushant Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh, Rao and his co-stars played a trio of friends whose lives are changed forever in the face of growing pains and communal tensions. Rao bagged a Supporting Actor nomination at Filmfare Awards, one of many to come.
Breakout with Hansal Mehta movies
One director that has been crucial to Rao’s rise to fame is definitely Hansal Mehta who first cast him to play assassinated lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi in the hard-hitting biopic Shahid. The film immediately established Rao as a go-to-lead for mature, emotionally conflicting dramas.
Mehta and Rao’s partnership led to other successes like the universally acclaimed gay rights drama Aligarh that starred Manoj Bajpayee as a professor fired for his sexual identity and Rao playing the journalist who helps him get justice. Other quintessential Rao-Mehta collaborations include the terrorism thriller Omerta and the human drama CityLights.
A comedic and romantic revelation
Once Rao had established himself as a dramatic lead, he also found time to display his awkward sense of humour. With an unpredictable comic timing, deadpan dialogue delivery, and an overall sense of naivety, Rao played lovable and gullible characters in Bareilly Ki Barfi, Fanney Khan, Stree, and many other comedies. Conversely, he could have a devious side in the genre too as is evident from his morally ambiguous underdog characters in the Netflix originals Monica O My Darling and Guns & Gulaabs.
Why is Newton Rajkumar Rao’s best movie?
Newton is an eye-opening satire on Indian democracy, observed from the perspective of the titular election official. Offering career-defining performances by Rao as the idealistic Newton and Pankaj Tripathi as a cynical paramilitary officer, the comedy finds the duo clashing with their ideas as they seek to conduct elections in a politically turbulent region of the country. The end result is a partly-hilarious, party-frightening look into the current state of Indian bureaucracy that only ages better with time. Rao has never seemed this earnest and genuine in a performance before even if his entire career boasts of earnest and genuine performances.
