Rajkummar Rao Biography: Age, Wife, Daughter, Movies and Latest News

Rajkummar Rao Profile, Age and Wiki

Rajkummar Rao Early Life, Family and Education

Rajkummar Rao was born Raj Kumar Yadav on 31 August 1984 in Prem Nagar, Gurgaon, Haryana. His father, Satya Prakash Yadav, worked in the Haryana revenue department, and his mother, Kamlesh Yadav, was a homemaker. He is the youngest of three siblings. He lost his mother in 2016 and his father in 2019.

He finished his Class 12 at S.N. Sidheshwar Senior Secondary Public School in Gurgaon, where school plays gave him his first taste of performing. He then graduated from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, University of Delhi. While in Delhi, he acted on stage with the Kshitij Theatre Group and at the Shri Ram Centre. Rajkummar has said that watching Manoj Bajpayee act convinced him to make acting his career.

In 2008 he completed the acting course at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. He then moved to Mumbai and spent about a year visiting studios and meeting casting directors before he found work.

In 2014 he changed his surname from Yadav to Rao and added an extra “m” to his first name, which is how “Rajkumar Yadav” became “Rajkummar Rao.” He said the spelling change was made for his mother, who followed numerology.

Rajkummar Rao Career

Debut and early work (2010–2012)

Rajkummar Rao’s first screen appearance was a brief, uncredited role as a news reader in Ram Gopal Varma’s Rann (2010). His proper debut came the same year in Dibakar Banerjee’s anthology Love Sex Aur Dhokha, where he played Adarsh, a supermarket supervisor. The film was praised by critics and made a profit.

He followed it with the found-footage horror film Ragini MMS (2011), a corrupt cop in Shaitan (2011), Shamshad Alam in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 (2012), freedom fighter Lokenath Bal in Chittagong (2012) and a supporting police role in Talaash (2012).

Breakthrough with Kai Po Che! and Shahid (2013)

2013 changed Rajkummar Rao’s career. In Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che!, based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel, he earned his first Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The same year he played lawyer and activist Shahid Azmi in Hansal Mehta’s biopic Shahid. The role won him the National Film Award for Best Actor and his first Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

Critical favourite (2014–2017)

Rajkummar Rao spent the next few years moving between independent dramas and mainstream films. He co-starred with his future wife Patralekha in CityLights (2014), played Kangana Ranaut’s self-centred fiancé in Queen (2014), and appeared in Dolly Ki Doli and Hamari Adhuri Kahani (2015). He played a journalist in Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh, which brought another supporting-actor nomination.

2017 was one of his strongest years. In Vikramaditya Motwane’s survival drama Trapped he played a man locked inside an empty Mumbai apartment, winning his second Filmfare Critics Award. He won Best Supporting Actor at Filmfare for the small-town romantic comedy Bareilly Ki Barfi. In Amit V. Masurkar’s Newton he played an election clerk posted to a Naxal-affected area. Newton premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won him the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Actor. He also starred in the romantic comedy Behen Hogi Teri (2017) with Shruti Haasan. The same year he made his streaming debut as Subhas Chandra Bose in Bose: Dead/Alive.

Stree and mainstream stardom (2018–2023)

Amar Kaushik’s horror comedy Stree (2018), co-starring Shraddha Kapoor, was Rajkummar Rao’s commercial breakthrough and earned his first Filmfare Best Actor nomination. He went on to play a terrorist in Omerta, a romantic lead in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019) and a Gujarati businessman in Made in China (2019).

During the pandemic years he appeared in Anurag Basu’s Netflix anthology Ludo (2020) and made his international debut in Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger (2021) with Priyanka Chopra. In Badhaai Do (2022) he played a gay police officer in a lavender marriage opposite Bhumi Pednekar, and won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He also led the Hindi remake HIT: The First Case (2022), the lockdown drama Bheed (2023) and Raj & DK’s Netflix series Guns & Gulaabs (2023).

Srikanth, Stree 2 and recent work (2024–2026)

In Srikanth (2024), Rajkummar Rao played visually impaired industrialist Srikanth Bolla, preparing by spending time at schools for the blind. The performance won him his third Filmfare Critics Award. Later that year he returned as Vicky in Stree 2, again opposite Shraddha Kapoor, which became his highest-grossing film and the biggest Hindi film of 2024.

In 2025 he starred in the time-loop comedy Bhool Chuk Maaf, which became a financial success despite delays, and the gangster drama Maalik. In 2026 he turned producer with the Netflix comedy Toaster.

His next theatrical release is Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam, in cinemas from 16 October 2026. He plays Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor known for high-profile terror trials including the 1993 Bombay bombings case. Avinash Arun (Paatal Lok) directs for Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, with Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat and Sikandar Kher in key roles.

Rajkummar Rao Movies List

Rajkummar Rao Awards and Honours

• National Film Award for Best Actor – Shahid (61st National Film Awards)
• Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor – Shahid (2014), Trapped (2018), Srikanth (2025)
• Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Bareilly Ki Barfi (2018)
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Badhaai Do (2023)
• Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Actor – Newton (2017)
• Forbes India 30 Under 30 (2014) and Forbes India Celebrity 100 (2017)

Rajkummar Rao Wife and Personal Life

Rajkummar Rao is married to actress Patralekha. The two began dating in 2010 and later worked together in Hansal Mehta’s CityLights (2014). They married on 15 November 2021 in Chandigarh. On 15 November 2025, their fourth wedding anniversary, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter.

He is vegetarian, and PETA India named him its “Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity” in 2017. He has also been a brand ambassador for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s Eat Right movement.

Lesser-Known Facts About Rajkummar Rao

• His birth name is Raj Kumar Yadav; the “Rajkummar Rao” spelling dates from 2014.
• He has said Manoj Bajpayee’s performances inspired him to become an actor.
• He is formally trained in taekwondo.
• Before films, he did theatre in Delhi with the Kshitij Theatre Group and at the Shri Ram Centre.
• Newton, starring Rajkummar, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.
• He has played several real people: Shahid Azmi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Srikanth Bolla and now Ujjwal Nikam.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic he donated to the PM CARES Fund, the Maharashtra CM’s Relief Fund and Feeding India.

Rajkummar Rao FAQs

How old is Rajkummar Rao?

Rajkummar Rao was born on 31 August 1984, so he is 42 years old in 2026.

What is Rajkummar Rao’s real name?

His real name is Raj Kumar Yadav. He changed it to Rajkummar Rao in 2014.

Who is Rajkummar Rao’s wife?

Rajkummar Rao is married to actress Patralekha. They married on 15 November 2021 in Chandigarh.

Does Rajkummar Rao have children?

Yes. Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha had a daughter on 15 November 2025.

Which award did Rajkummar Rao win for Shahid?

He won the National Film Award for Best Actor for Shahid (2013), along with the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.

What is Rajkummar Rao’s new movie?

His new film is Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam, releasing in theatres on 16 October 2026, in which he plays public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.

What is Rajkummar Rao’s highest-grossing film?

Stree 2 (2024) is his highest-grossing film and was the top-grossing Hindi film of 2024.

Sources

• Rajkummar Rao – Wikipedia
• Prahaar locks new release date – The Hollywood Reporter India