Art does not come in isolation, it comes with a responsibility…" starts Rajkummar Rao, when we meet him on a chilly Saturday. Dressed casually in a sweatsuit and a cap, he wears a relaxed look on his face. His last film Stree (2018) was unanimously one of the best films of the year and is expected to make it to the award galas this season. I ask him how is he so relaxed in times when competition is at its peak and everyone is waiting to outdo the other. He smiles and says, "That's my satiated look…" As he joins Anurag Basu on the film set in Bhopal, Rao talks to us about the importance of the social message in cinema, his 'Akshay Kumar year' with four releases in 2019 and the warped idea of competition in showbiz.

Is industry competition a myth given that opportunities are abundant?
Acting can't be competitive. It's not like we are working towards a promotion at the workplace. It's neither about outdoing designations. Movies are not a sport. I cannot go up to Ayushmann [Khurrana] and say, "Bro, I can cry better than you!" It's not wrestling that has one definite goal - to win. A good performance by anyone gives me a high. I can compete with someone's hard work, but not their work. The industry is not so petty anymore where one is pulling the other down. There is love, which is why great work is coming to the fore now.