Best Movies of Rajkummar Rao You Shouldn’t Miss Watching!

On the topic of the Best Movies of Rajkummar Rao, in the last few years, Hindi film industry has experienced a remarkable change – good films succeed even without star power and bad films fail despite the stars as leads. One of the biggest pioneers of this change is Rao who has quickly become one of the most reliable and talented actors in the industry. He owns serious roles as easily as he slips into comic ones – all the while capturing the audience’s attention. His numerous awards and nominations are all a testament to his talents. So here are the Best Movies of Rajkummar Rao you shouldn’t miss watching!

Last Updated on April 28, 2024

Related: Best Movies of Vidya Balan You Shouldn’t Miss!

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9. Stree

Director – Amar Kaushik
Streamer – Jio Cinema

One of the most original and unusual movies of 2018. Horror-Comedy is a genre that has just not found much success in Hindi films because it involves walking a thin line from keeping a movie becoming either boring or silly and Stree walks this line with precision. Rao’s comic timing shines through again and he is very well supported by Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi and Aparshakti Khurana. This film did very well at the box-office and is one of the Best Movies of Rajkummar Rao.

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8. Newton

Director – Amit V. Masurkar
Genre – Black Comedy / Drama

Newton is an all round movie with all the elements necessary to make a good movie. The storytelling is both funny and interesting while drawing attention to one of the least talked about social issues in India at present – that of ensuring voting rights for even the remotest and naxal affected corners of the country and its importance. However, the story is elevated by exceptional acting by Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi. One of the Best Movies of Rajkummar Rao.

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7. Aligarh

Director – Hansal Mehta
Streamer – Jio Cinema

Another supporting role against Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao plays the role of a Delhi based journalist who comes across the story of a gay professor who was fired on the grounds of morality and tries to help him. Aligarh is a nuanced and compelling movie with stunning performances all round. This film received universal critical praise for its sensitive handling of such a complex issue.

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6. Badhaai Do

Director – Harshavardhan Kulkarni
Streamer – Netflix

Best Movies of Rajkummar Rao: Badhaai Do revolve around a couple, who, instead of coming out to their families, a gay man and a lesbian enter into a marriage to appease their parents. But, chaos ensues when the woman’s girlfriend comes to live with the unlikely couple.

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5. Bareilly Ki Barfi

Director – Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Streamer – Netflix

One of the best things about Rao’s career is that he is brilliant at playing the second fiddle and shine. Ostensibly, Bareilly Ki Barfi is Ayushmann Khurana and Kriti Sanon’s film with Rao in a supporting role but you just can’t keep an actor of his calibre from showing his class. Even in the relatively smaller role, Rajkummar Rao lifts the entire film in every scene that he is in and his comic timing is impeccable.

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4. Trapped

Director – Vikramaditya Motwane
Streamer – Netflix

Trapped is an award-winning, survival drama about a man who gets trapped in his apartment without water, food, electricity or any way to contact anyone outside. This film is not for the faint of heart because of the sheer terror that it can fill a person with. We have all experienced elements (locked out without keys, lack of water or food, discharged phone batteries, and isolation) of what happens to this character which makes it all the more relatable. This is a film that could have easily been over the top, but Rao grounds this film with one of his finest performances. One of the Best Movies of Rajkummar Rao.

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3. Kai Po Che!

Director – Abhishek Kapoor
Streamer – Netflix

Based on Chetan Bhagat’s book The 3 Mistakes of My Life, Kai Po Che! is an example of a movie based on friendship that did the storytelling better than its source material. The performances from all three leads – Rajkummar Rao, Sushant Singh Rajput, and Amit Sadh are captivating. The way the story of these three friends is intricately woven with real events hoist the story from the mediocre novel into a delightful film.

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2. Monica, O My Darling

Director – Vasan Bala
Streamer – Netflix

Best Movies of Rajkummar Rao: Vasan Bala’s neo-noir crime comedy, Monica O My Darling stars Rajkummar Rao and Huma Qureshi in the primary roles, with Radhika Apte, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, and Zayn Marie Khan in supporting roles. The story revolves around a young entrepreneur who desperately tries to make it big with some unlikely allies and a diabolical plan to pull off the perfect murder.

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1. Shahid

Director – Hansal Mehta
Streamer – Prime Video (Rent)

Shahid (2013) is the film that earned Rao his National Award for Best Actor and the reason for that is this is a phenomenal performance from a fabulous actor. Based on the life of lawyer and activist, Shahid Azmi – this film tells the story with a directness that is both brave and uncomfortable. Rajkummar Rao injects a raw vulnerability and plays the character fearlessly.

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