India, Aug. 31 -- Rajkummar Rao is one of the most critically acclaimed actors in the country. As he turns 42 on Monday, we look back at his journey from struggling to make ends meet in Mumbai to establishing himself as one of the most sought-after actors in the Hindi film industry.

In an interaction with Ranveer Allahbadia in 2024, Rajkummar shared that he wanted to become an actor from his school days and was involved in theatre. It was his mother who recognised his passion and encouraged him to pursue acting.

Rajkummar, who hails from Gurugram, recalled that at the age of 18, he would cycle 70 km each way from Gurugram to Delhi every day to attend acting school at the Sri Ram Centre. He would often listen to songs such as "Lakshya Ko...