Renowned for his nuanced and powerful performances, Rahul Bose has etched a lasting impact on Indian cinema. With a filmography boasting an impressive array of critically acclaimed roles, Bose has consistently pushed the boundaries of his craft.

Recently, at the IMA Conclave in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the versatile actor took audiences on a trip down memory lane, recalling his initial reaction to director Zoya Akhtar upon reading the script of his character Manav in the 2015 film 'Dil Dhadakne Do'. What followed was a candid and humorous anecdote that offered a glimpse into the creative process of one of Bollywood's most respected talents.

Rahul was roped in to play Manav, a chauvinistic husband to Ayesh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas). Contrary to the character’s trait, Rahul has been known for his extensive work on gender equality and gender sensitivity for over two decades now. And so, when he was asked of his initial reaction to playing the chauvinistic and toxic character, he recalled, “When I read the scene, I told Zoya that ‘I’m going to kill myself.’ I said, ‘What are you making me say?’ I’ve now spent 26 years working on gender. In 10 days, I will speak on gender equity and gender justice in New Delhi at the India Habitat Centre. It’s going to be a long serious decision on gender. I told Zoya that if the other Rahul were to listen to this guy, he would slap himself, and he would kill himself.”

In one of the scenes involving Rahul and Farhan Akhtar, there is a discussion going on about women’s rights. In that particular scene, Rahul’s character, Manav, smugly remarks that no female was allowed to work until his father’s generation, but he allowed Ayesha.

Talking about the same scene, Rahul said that he strongly believes in the message that the scene gives, and what Farhan Akhtar had said in the movie. “So, violence for violence's sake? Never. Discrimination against women for cheap thrills? Never! What is the message at the end of the scene in the film? The message at the end is that violence is unacceptable, violence against women even more so, and a sociopath or a psychopath deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. Likewise, in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, the lesson from that scene is exactly what Farhan says ‘Who are you to allow anybody?’ Once I read that I knew it was fine. I never doubted Zoya’s commitment to the cause.”

Moving further, Rahul also spoke about veteran actor Shabana Azmi’s reaction to this character after watching the film. Recalling their recent meeting, he said, “She saw ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ and she said, ‘You have submitted yourself to the character so completely to be this unsympathetic character from the first scene where he rolls up the rotis and has a spoon of dal - you already know that this guy is utterly, utterly despicable, to the end where he is grabbing Priyanka and asking her to leave.’ When Shabana said that I submitted myself completely to the character, I said, ‘What’s the other way?’ And then she went on to tell me that many actors will play the bad guy but to it, they will add a little bit of dignity, some attractiveness, so that deep in your heart you are not fully hating that person. That is the insecurity of the actor. I then told her that no, I have to perform a character exactly the way it has been written.” He further added that many details were later added by Zoya and himself as they began the filming.

Meanwhile, at the work front, Rahul revealed that he will soon be seen in an action-comedy drama, and will also be directing a film. He, however, didn’t reveal many details of either of the two projects.