Actor, who recently purchase house worth Rs 44 crore, once struggled to buy ghee: 'Ghee on roti was a big deal'

While he may have hit headlines in recent times for buying a mansion worth Rs 44 crore, there was a time when affording desi ghee was a luxury for Rajkummar Rao. A 2022 interview where the ‘Stree’ actor opened up about his financial struggles has gone viral on Instagram.

For the unversed, the actor appeared on the talk show ‘Aapka Apna Zakir’ along with his ‘Stree 2’ co-star Shraddha Kapoor to promote the film. The actors were asked what they did with their first salaries, to which the ‘Kai Po Che’ star said he was paid Rs 300 to teach a girl dancing, and he used it to buy groceries. He also revealed his family was going through a rough patch financially in those days.

“I used my first salary to buy groceries. And after buying everything, I was left with some money, so I bought desi ghee. It was a big deal for us to have ghee on our rotis,” he revealed.

Rao has come a long way since those days. In 2024, he hit the headlines for buying a house worth a whopping Rs 44 crores in Mumbai.

In an interview with Mashable India, the actor said that he was inspired to buy a home beyond his means by Shah Rukh Khan. "Shah Rukh sir taught me one thing: ‘ Beta kabhi bhi ghar lega na, toh aukaat se thoda zyaada lena. Kyunki phir na, upar wala bhi dekhta hai aur tu khud bhi zyada mehnat karega (Son, whenever you buy a house, buy it a little beyond your means. That way, you’ll work harder because you would want to earn it).’ I found this very fascinating,” he told the publication.

On the work front, Rao recently headlined the romantic comedy ‘Bhool Chuk Maaf’ along with Wamiqa Gabby. The movie was a modest success, earning Rs 90 crore at the end of its box-office journey.