From the critically acclaimed 'Newton' to the quirky charm of 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' and the gripping 'Trapped', 2017 marked Rajkummar Rao’s golden year in cinema.
Every actor has that one breakthrough year that shifts their entire journey. For Rajkummar Rao, that turning point came in 2017, when his versatility was proved in a way that the industry and audiences could no longer ignore. He had multiple releases that year, and each film carried a distinct shade of his craft, and together, they established his position as one of the finest actors of his generation. And while he has continued to grow and shine with every passing role, that magical run still stands out as the moment when the actor went from promising to unshakably powerful.
Today, on the actor's 41st birthday, let's revisit his 2017 releases.
When Amit V. Masurkar’s 'Newton' released in September 2017, it looked, on paper, like the kind of film destined for the margins. It's a satire set deep in the forests of Chhattisgarh, focused on a government clerk determined to conduct free elections in the middle of Naxal territory. But Rao’s Newton Kumar, with his clipped diction and unswerving faith in the rulebook, turned that premise into something at once absurd and moving.
The part demanded restraint. Newton is not a man of dramatic flourishes but of stubborn pauses. And that refusal to grandstand became its own form of power. Critics spoke of his 'conviction', and audiences responded to the stillness. Against all odds, the film travelled to Berlin, to India’s official Oscar entry, and to the National Award for Best Hindi Feature. At home, it earned over Rs 22 crore, an astonishing number for a political dramedy with little more than conversations and silences.
Vikramaditya Motwane’s thriller, released in March 2017, is claustrophobic to the point of discomfort. Rao’s Shaurya, locked inside a high-rise flat with no food, water, or exit, deteriorates before our eyes. And to make it believable, Rao reportedly lived on coffee and carrots, carving his frame down to match the role’s desperation. The performance is almost feral, a study in the slow unravelling of a human being, leaving critics spellbound. The box office, predictably, was modest; however, the film earned him several awards and cemented his reputation for absolute immersion, for risking the self in service of a character.
(Credit: FuhSePhantom)
Then came the surprise detour, light where the others were heavy. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s 'Bareilly Ki Barfi' let Rao play two men at once, or rather, one man forced to pretend he was two. His Pritam Vidrohi, a mild-mannered saree shop worker, is coached into masquerading as a swaggering small-town rake. The joy lies in the transitions, especially the dropped shoulders, the tentative glance, suddenly sharpened into bravado when required.
The performance is mischievous, and, as many critics noted, the scene-stealing heart of the film. What began as a modest romcom turned into a sleeper hit, crossing Rs 55 crore at the box office. Awards followed too; Rao won the Filmfare for Best Supporting Actor. After the intensity of Trapped and Newton, this role revealed his instinct for comedy, and the sort of charm that makes an actor beloved as well as respected.
(Credit: Netflix India)
By the end of the year, Rao was fronting yet another register. Ratnaa Sinha’s 'Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana' embraced old-school melodrama, the kind where love, betrayal, and redemption unfold with broad gestures. Rao’s Satyendra begins as the perfect small-town groom and ends as a hardened bureaucrat, still smarting from betrayal. The arc is familiar and almost theatrical, but Rao shaded it with restraint, shifting from sweetness to bitterness without caricature.
Reviews were mixed, and the box office settled at a middling Rs 11–15 crore. Yet the film has enjoyed a second life on television and streaming, proving Rao could carry even a traditional romance without losing nuance. In a year of artistic highs, this was perhaps the most conventional, but it widened his reach.
(Credit: Zee Music Company)
Even outside these four landmarks, Rao was everywhere. He turned up in 'Raabta' for barely a few minutes, unrecognisable under heavy prosthetics as a centuries-old sage, making it a cameo that sparked more chatter than the film itself. 'Behen Hogi Teri' flopped, both critically and commercially, but by then his momentum was unstoppable.
Happy Birthday!
