Rajpal Yadav Recalls Journey To National School Of Drama, How He Aspired To Give Back To Others - EXCL

Hailing

from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, actor Rajpal Yadav has come a long way from his small-town roots. The aspiring actor travelled to Lucknow and later to Delhi to attend the National School of Drama (NSD) to hone his skills. Rajpal got candid about the amount of effort he had to put in, first at acting school and later in Bollywood to become a success. Once he hit a major milestone with 50 films, Rajpal began thinking about how to give back to those less fortunate, especially from his village.

Rajpal Yadav on his pathway to National School of Drama

In an interview with Zoom, Rajpal shared that he first went to Bhartendu Natya Academy in Lucknow. There he learned several things about himself as he attempted to become an actor, including diction. He constantly practiced for hours to improve his diction. Rajpal spent two years in Lucknow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaq8lwYSXx0

His entire batch went to Mumbai to try their hand in Bollywood. Instead, he told them that he wanted to study more for two-three years at the National School of Drama. When they asked what he would study, Rajpal answered self-confidence. The actor shared on his NSD application that he didn't put down that he had attended BNA or done theatre but he didn't want to say what he had done.He said, "What I wanted to learn was only necessary to the faculty. Luckily I got in on my first attempt. Nawaz bhai [Nawazuddin Siddiqui] was my senior in Lucknow, he passed and came to Delhi. And when I came to Delhi for my first year, he was in his second year."

Struggles after NSD in Bollywood

After he passed out in 1997, the faculty didn't provide him any work in art direction or designing. Right away, they told him to act. He never looked back. In 1999, he did the TV series Mungeri Ke Bhai Naurangilal. Afterwards, he landed roles in films such as Shool, Mast and Jungle. It was the latter in 2000 that gave him a real boost.Rajpal recalled, "Till 2005, the way I have lived life through three shifts. Sometimes action, sometimes cut and then move on again."

Eventually he learned about the meaning of dharma and life. He shared, "Main apne liye jeene laga. Mujhe laga mujhe parivar ke liye bhi jeena chahiye [I lived for myself and then I felt I should live for my family as well]. Then I felt I had to live for society, my village, country and world as well. I completed 50 films. I talked to my wife and said I've done all these films and have 10 more in the pipeline. I want to do something."He wanted to give back to the people who had got him so far in life. Rajpal revealed that he was able to find his place and yet he wanted to find and introduce others who were not so fortunate. That's why he wanted to make his own film and directed Ata Pata Laapata.