Raj Arjun is a character artist best known for supporting & negative roles. Predominantly working in Bollywood, he is known for his appearances in south Indian films too. After struggling with less-significant roles in Bollywood, he came to the limelight playing the arrogant father in Aamir Khan starrer Secret Superstar (2017). His daughter Sara Arjun has been a popular child model and actress, who played lead role opposite Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar (2025).
Raj Arjun had faced a lot of struggles during his early days in Bollywood
Raj was born on 8th February 1972 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. He was active in theatre during his younger days. He tried to get admission at NSD, but got rejected four times. He went back to theatre doyen Habib Tanvir and worked as an artist under him for three years. The rejection and failure began to hurt him, and Habib advised him to move to Mumbai.
Though he started working in television, it was nothing for a sort of happiness for him. He never enjoyed that. He got his first break through Shabri, but it took 5-6 six years before it released in 2011. Likewise, he was getting small roles, but there was no fun in it. He was seen in small roles in Company, Black Friday, D, Kaalo etc. But none of these roles really helped in building his career. By that time, his frustration reached an extreme level. He was already married before moving to Mumbai.
He got Secret Superstar when he took his daughter for another audition
His daughter Sara Arjun has been working in modelling industry from the age of 1.5 and also has a successful career as a child actress in films. The role in Secret Superstar just landed into him like a luck factor. The casting director had invited his daughter for an audition for a different film. The same team were auditioning for Aamir Khan’s Secret Superstar and Raj was asked to audition, too. Raj attended the audition, and to his surprise, he got the role in the most unexpected way. He was without any work, with no money in hand when he got this role.
It’s interesting that he got a role quite contradictory to his real-life character – a dotting father who supports his daughter to pursue her dreams, and he did with ease. His performance was so realistic and he got a lot of praises. His role as a conservative father of Zaira Wasim and an abusive husband in Secret Superstar earned him a lot of appreciation, and he is looking forward to do some quality work.
Among his works, Secret Superstar and Shabri gave him the most satisfaction
Though Ram Gopal Varma’s Shabri had a delayed release, this particular role is close to Raj Arjun’s heart. Later Secret Superstar gave him the real break he was waiting for so long. The movie is highest grosser women-centric film in Indian cinema. Raj Arjun has worked in Bollywood movies like Rowdy Rathore, Yudhra, Raees, Shershaah, Tutak Tutak Tutiya, Traffic, Yudhra and Love Hostel. He played the role of R. N. Veerappan in the Hindi version of Thalaivii. In 2021, he played the lead role of Shirdi Sai Baba in the web series, Sabka Sai.
He made his debut in Tamil Film Industry with the film Thaandavam (2012), and in Telugu with Dear Comrade in 2019. He played the antagonist Ramesh Rao, a misogynistic cricket selector who harasses the female lead Lilly (played by Rashmika Mandanna) in Dear Comrade. It’s one of his most powerful roles up-to-date. Currently, he is active in both Bollywood and south film industry.
Raj Arjun – Some interesting and less-known facts
1. He has been associated with more than 15 years in theatre.
2. Despite having a strong theatre background, he started off with small roles in television and films, which was highly unpleasant for him. When he asked for roles, it was a mental torture for him and a feel like beggar asking roles.
3. His performance in Secret Superstar earned him Zee Cine Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role in 2018.
4. As an actor, Raj Arjun is not fond of the label, supporting actor. He prefers to call himself an actor, than a supporting actor.
5. He is married to Sanya Arjun with two kids Sara Arjun and Suhaan Arjun.
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