Did you know Rajkummar Rao took 1.5 years for a 32-day shoot for his film ‘Shahid’

Shahid, a film which was released in 2013 had left an impressive mark in the minds and hearts of the audiences. The Rajkummar Rao starrer garnered immense critical acclaim including the National Award. Made on a budget of Rs 65 lakh, the film solidified Rao’s stature as a talented actor in the industry. But it had its own share of struggles before its release despite a great round at international film festivals.

Jai Mehta, son of Hansal Mehta recently sat down for an interview with Hindustan Times. In the interview, he shared that a 32-day-long planned shoot schedule for the film got stretched for 1.5 years. Jai said that they shot a 32-day shoot for a year and a half, and the fact that entire crew stayed and they pulled off a movie in ₹65 lakh. Jai was one of the executive producers and the first assistant director of the film.


The film was applauded at various film festivals like in Busan and Toronto.


Despite critical acclaim, ‘Shahid’ didn’t get buyers easily. Jai added, “Even after that, there were no buyers for ‘Shahid.’ Then the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) happened after quite some time in Toronto, and there, producers Siddharth Roy Kapur and Ronnie Screwvala watched the film, and that’s when the audience really accepted it.”


Shahid also starred Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Tigmanshu Dhulia, and Kay Kay Menon in pivotal roles, besides the lead protagonist. Hailed as one of the best works of Rajkummar Rao’s career, Hansal Mehta’s directorial has the actor playing the titular role of a lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who was assassinated in 2010.


Rajkummar Rao will be seen next in ‘Stree 2.’ It is a sequel to the horror-comedy film Stree which was released in 2018. Besides the actor, Shraddha Kapoor will also reprise her role from the first installment in the upcoming film. Additionally, Rao will also be seen in the Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video alongside Triptii Dimri.