Top 10 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 Rajkummar 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. Presenting a Top 10 list of Rajkummar Rao’s Best Films. [Author’s Disclaimer: The ratings are not representative of how good a film is, but of how good Rao’s acting was in the context].

Related: Top 5 Best Movies of Taapsee Pannu

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Honorable Mention

Love, Sex Aur Dhoka (2010)

Director – Dibakar Bannerjee
Genre – Erotic Drama

Dibakar Bannerjee’s anthology was one of the earliest films of Rajkummar Rao’s career and he stars in the sex part of the movie which was titled Paap ki Dukkaan. The entire anthology received mixed reviews because of its inventive but inconsistent storytelling however Rao got universal praise.

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10. Citylights (2014)

Director – Hansal Mehta
Genre – Drama

A remake of the British film, Metro Manila, Citylights was a low budget film with Rajkummar Rao in a starring role with his partner Patralekha. The film tells the story of a poor man who moves from a village in Rajasthan to Mumbai in search of a better life. The film was reviewed very favorably especially because of the storytelling and Rao’s acting.

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9. Queen (2014)

Director – Vikas Bahl
Genre – Comedy / Drama

Although Queen is outrightly Kangana Ranaut’s film, Rajkummar Rao shines in the brief role that he is in as Rani’s fiancee, Vijay. He plays a character here that’s unlike any other in his career and he plays the foil to Rani’s character with effortless perfection.

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8. Gangs of Wasseypur 2 (2012)

Director – Anurag Kashyap
Genre – Crime

This is a film that requires no introduction but people may forget that Rajkummar Rao was a part of the cast. He manages to do well in a small role and shows what a good actor can bring even to a small role.

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7. Newton (2017)

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

Newton is just good cinema all round 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 (but one of the most relevant) 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. This film was a darling of critics who gave it universal acclaim.

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6. Kai Po Che! (2013)

Director – Abhishek Kapoor
Genre – Drama

Based on Chetan Bhagat’s book The 3 Mistakes of My Life, Kai Po Che! is an example of a movie 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.

Also Read: Top 5 Movies Based on Cricket

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5. Aligarh (2016)

Director – Hansal Mehta
Genre – Biopic

Another Supporting role against Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao plays the role of a Delhi based journalist who comes across the story of a 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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4. Trapped (2016)

Director – Vikramaditya Motwane
Genre – Survival Drama

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 Rajkummar Rao grounds this film with one of his finest performances.

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3. Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017)

Director – Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Genre – Rom-Com

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 Ayushmaan Khurana and Kirti 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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2. Stree (2018)

Director – Amar Kaushik
Genre – Horror / Comedy

Stree was 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. Rajkummar’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 became the highest grosser of Rao’s career so far.

Also Read: Top Underrated Actors in Bollywood Who Deserve Better

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1. Shahid (2013)

Director – Hansal Mehta
Genre – Biopic

Shahid 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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What are your favorite movies of Rajkummar Rao? Sound off in the comment section below.