In our series Streaming Guide, we list the works of a filmmaker or actor which are available on OTT platforms like ZEE5, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus Hotstar, Eros Now and YouTube.

This edition features actor Rajkummar Rao who has films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Kai Po Che!, Shahid, Trapped, Ludo, and The White Tiger among others to his credit.

Love Sex Aur Dhokha

Streaming on: MX Player

A still from Love Sex Aur Dhokha.

The thriller drama directed by Dibakar Banerjee features actors Nushrat Bharucha, Anshuman Jha, Neha Chauhan, Rajkummar Rao, Arya Banerjee and Amit Sial, among others. The ensemble film was Rajkummar’s debut as well.

Ragini MMS

Streaming on: MX Player

Rajkummar Rao and Kainaz Motivala in Ragini MMS.

The paranormal thriller revolves around a couple, Uday (Rao) and Ragini (Kainaz Motivala) who go to a friend’s farmhouse for a weekend. What was supposed to be a romantic getaway becomes a horrific experience as they sense the presence of supernatural forces. The film worked given its smart storytelling.

Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2

Streaming on: Netflix

The second part of director Anurag Kashyap’s gritty gangster drama starred some brilliant actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee, Piyush Mishra and Pankaj Tripathi. Still, Rajkummar Rao managed to shine among these talents. He played the role of Shamshad Alam and to get into the skin of his character, he even visited Wasseypur. Who can forget the chase sequence between his character and Definite (Zeishan Quadri) where the actor showcased the sheer brilliance at his craft?

Kai Po Che!

Streaming on: Netflix

A poster of Kai Po Che!

Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che, based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel ‘3 Mistake of My Life’ brought much-needed attention to Rajkummar Rao. Though the film also starred Sushant Singh Rajput who was a household face because of his daily Pavitra Rishta, Rao managed to grab eyeballs with his performance. In this story of three friends, Rao essayed the role of a simple boy Govind who wishes to own a big business and marry his friend Ishaan’s (Sushant) sister Vidya (Amrita Puri).

Shahid

Streaming on: SonyLIV

Rajkummar Rao played Shahid Azmi in Shahid.

Shahid is based on the real-life story of slain human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi. He fought for the poor and innocent who were jailed or arrested on the charge of being terrorists. In 2010, he was gunned down while defending Fahim Ansari, accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Even though Azmi was a hero for the innocents he saved, Mehta doesn’t portray him as a hero or a saint in the biopic. The film is a must-watch for its gripping narrative and effective performance by Rajkummar Rao.

CityLights

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Rajkummar Rao with Patralekha in a still from CityLights.

The film, starring Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha, deals with urban poverty. It is the story of a poor farmer and his family who come to Mumbai in search of a livelihood but faces adverse conditions upon arrival in the city. The film is an official adaptation of British-Filipino movie Metro Manila, which was Britain’s entry to the Oscars.

Aligarh

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

A poster of the movie Aligarh.

Aligarh is based on Aligarh Muslim University professor Srinivas Ramchandra Siras. He was suspended from his job because of his sexual orientation. In her review of the film, The Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta wrote, “Like in his Shahid, Hansal Mehta and scriptwriter Apurva Asrani have come up with a lead character and a film which shines with authenticity and emotional heft, which leaves you thinking, and which says something we should all listen to, especially in these times when it has become more imperative than ever before: we can be different, but we are us.”

Trapped

Streaming on: ZEE5, Amazon Prime Video

Rajkummar Rao in a still from Trapped.

Rajkummar Rao shines in Vikramaditya Motwane’s survival-drama-thriller about survival and hope. A man named Shaurya is almost driven to madness after he gets trapped in a high-rise building. Rao as the trapped man leaves you with an uncomfortable feeling, as if you are the one experiencing all the discomfort.

Bareilly Ki Barfi

Streaming on: Netflix

Rajkummar Rao in Bareilly Ki Barfi.

Bareilly Ki Barfi helmed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari had a love triangle at the centre of its narrative but its localised treatment sets it apart from other romantic comedies. Ayushmann Khurrana, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Seema Pahwa and Rajkummar Rao proved their acting mettle with the film. Its song and dance sequences gave it a Bollywood touch and its one-liners brought smiles to the audience.

Omerta

Streaming on: ZEE5

Rajkummar Rao in Omerta.

Omerta, starring Rajkummar Rao in the lead role, is based on the life of Omar Saeed Sheikh, a terrorist of Pakistani descent. He was responsible for the 1994 kidnapping of four foreign tourists in Delhi and the 2002 kidnapping and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan among others.

Newton

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Rajkummar Rao in Newton’s movie poster.

Newton tells the story of an election official (Rajkummar Rao) in-charge of a polling station deep in the Maoist-infested belt of Chhattisgarh. The political satire is directed by Amit Masurkar and also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Raghubir Yadav, Anjali Patil and Sanjay Mishra. It was adjudged India’s official entry in the foreign-language film category for the 2018 Academy Awards.

Stree

Streaming on: Netflix, Disney Plus Hotstar

Pankaj Tripathi and Rajkummar Rao in a still from Stree.

Directed by Amar Kaushik, the horror-comedy, starring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurrana, Abhishek Banerjee and Vijay Raaz among others, delivers everything, from laughs, scares to a good story. Rao is terrific as a lovelorn tailor Vicky and Tripathi impresses with his comic timing.

Love Sonia

Streaming on: Disney Plus Hotstar

Rajkummar Rao plays a pivotal role in Love Sonia.

Love Sonia, based on the horrors of child trafficking, features Mrunal Thakur along with Freida Pinto, Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadha, Rajkummar Rao, Sai Tamhankar, Adil Hussain and Mark Duplass. It is a harrowing tale of a 17-year-old girl Sonia who is out to rescue her sister from the clutches of sex traffickers. The movie won laurels globally at several film festivals.

Ludo

Streaming on: Netflix

Rajkummar Rao and Fatima Sana Shaikh in Ludo.

If you’re into dark comedies, Anurag Basu’s Ludo, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra and Pearle Maaney, is a good pick. It brings together four different stories and how they intertwine as two people play ludo to decide between life and death.

Chhalaang

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

A poster of Chhalaang.

Starring Rajkummar Rao, Nushrat Bharucha and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Hansal Mehta directorial Chhalaang is your typical love triangle with the competitive spirit of two PT teachers thrown into the mix. It isn’t awful, but it isn’t great either. A strictly one-time watch.

Streaming Guide | Gulzar | Anurag Kashyap | Hrithik Roshan | Priyanka Chopra | Imtiaz Ali | Vishal Bhardwaj | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Ayushmann Khurrana | Hrishikesh Mukherjee | Anees Bazmee | Rajkumar Hirani | Ashutosh Gowariker | Bollywood movies of 2019 | Salman Khan | Kareena Kapoor Khan | Saif Ali Khan | Disha Patani | Kartik Aaryan | Vicky Kaushal | Taapsee Pannu | Tiger Shroff | Kundan Shah | Ranveer Singh | Rohit Shetty | Hansal Mehta | Ranbir Kapoor | Varun Dhawan | Karan Johar | Anushka Sharma | Alia Bhatt | Shoojit Sircar | Abhay Deol | Deepika Padukone | Vinay Pathak | Zoya Akhtar | Sushmita Sen | Abhishek Bachchan | Aditi Rao Hydari | Amit Sadh | Neeraj Pandey | Vidya Balan | Prakash Jha | Janhvi Kapoor | Swara Bhasker | Aditya Roy Kapur  | Pankaj Tripathi |  Sumeet Vyas | Ali Abbas Zafar | Sudhir Mishra | Vikrant Massey | Shweta Basu Prasad | Pratik Gandhi | Aishwarya Rai Bachchan | Shah Rukh Khan| Hrithik Roshan | Akshay Kumar | Anurag Basu | Bobby Deol | Rajeev Khandelwal | Rasika Dugal | Sanjay Dutt | Bollywood movies of 2020 | Satish Kaushik| Kajol | Dimple Kapadia | Richa Chadha | Manoj Bajpayee | Parineeti Chopra  | Shahid Kapoor | Alankrita Shrivastava

The White Tiger

Streaming on: Netflix

Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra and Rajkummar Rao in The White Tiger.

Directed by Ramin Bahrani, The White Tiger featured Priyanka Chopra, Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav in the lead roles. Based on Aravind Adiga’s book of the same name, the film received a positive response from the critics. It chronicles the journey of Balram Halwai (Gourav) from a poor villager to a successful entrepreneur, and also makes a commentary on the struggles of India’s working class. It shows how hunger and lack of opportunity can build and drive a human being’s “animal instinct of survival.”