'Roohi' star Alexx O'Nell on working with Rajkummar Rao: 'He's a funny guy'

Alexx O’Nell has played a significant role in the film Roohi which released on March 11, 2021, alongside Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor. In an exclusive interview with Republic World, Alexx O’Nell opened up and candidly spoke about his experience while working on Roohi and starring alongside Rajkummar Rao once again. He also shared his thoughts on how his character had been perceived.

Alexx O’Nell’s thoughts on Rajkummar Rao

“He's a funny guy, he's a kind human being, he's a talented actor. What's not to love? There are a few things that are 'a given' when you work with Rajkumar, you know he's going to give a memorable performance, and you can bet on the fact that whether it is commercial or not, audiences will take notice", he said. "After very few scenes together in our previous projects, thankfully now, in Roohi, we finally have a few really nice moments in the same frame. A lot of acting is reacting to the energies of your fellow performers, and with great timing and fresh ideas Rajkummar is a wonderful scene partner to work with.”

Alexx O’Nell on his character ‘Tim’ in Roohi

“The first character to welcome audiences back to the cinema, after all these months, is an American journalist named Tim. With Bhaura (Rajkummar Rao) and Kattani (Varun Sharma) as his guides, he’s come to a small-town to shoot a documentary on a very 'unique' ritual", he added. "But as his cameraman shoots, Tim witnesses first-hand that the practice he is there to cover is more brazen crime than quaint tradition. And when Roohi and Afzana (Janhvi Kapoor) introduce the three unlikely friends to the realm of the supernatural, the film goes from bizarre to terrifying!”, he continued.

Audience's reactions to the character of ‘Tim’

“The response overall has been mixed, but very much leaning positive. I’m quite happy that my role has been appreciated with reviews like 'Alexx O’Nell is fantastic' and 'Lovely'. But there have also been many many comments like 'Alexx O’Nell doesn’t get much scope'.  Unfortunately, I would say about half of what I shot for Roohi didn’t make it into the final edit. In fact, Hardik ran away from me at the premiere saying 'Don't kill me!' (laughs)" He further went on to say, "Knowing that I would be saddened to see much of my performance missing. But, that is the nature of filmmaking. It is a mammoth task, and in the end the director is in service of the story, not any individual character. Would I have wanted to have had those scenes included? Absolutely! But I respect the director’s decisions and immensely enjoyed the film regardless.”