“It’s amazing how life completes the loop”: Ritvik Sahore on transitioning from a Rajkummar Rao admirer to portraying his son in Prahaar!

Sharing the frame with an actor you once looked up to as a fan is a uniquely special feeling. Ritvik Sahore experienced that exact moment firsthand. Years ago, during the success celebration for Stree, Ritvik posed for a photograph with #RajkummarRao. Fast forward to the present, and the two actors are working together in Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam, with Ritvik stepping into the role of Aniket Nikam, the son of Rajkummar’s character, Ujjwal Nikam.

The memory is especially meaningful for Ritvik because he had gone to the party with Aparshakti Khurana, a very dear friend who had taken him along. A self-confessed Rajkummar fan, Ritvik remembers having to muster up the courage to approach the actor for a picture — never imagining that a few years later, he would be sharing scenes with him.

Recalling the journey, Ritvik Sahore says, “It’s crazy how life comes full circle in the most unexpected ways. I remember going to the Stree success party with Aparshakti, who is a very dear friend of mine and had taken me along. I remember seeing Rajkummar there and thinking how much I admired his work. I’ve always been a huge fan of his, but I’m also quite shy, so I had to really gather the courage to go up and ask him for a picture. I remember thinking, ‘I hope I get to work with him someday.’

A few years later, I got to play his son in #Prahaar. Working with him was honestly such a special experience. He’s an incredible actor, but more than that, he’s a genuinely good human being. He’s so warm and giving, and I learnt a lot just by watching him. He’d be joking around and having fun on set, and the moment the camera came on, he’d just become Ujjwal Nikam. That was really inspiring to see.

I had told him about that picture from the Stree party, and he suggested we recreate it. So when we did that on the sets of Prahaar, it genuinely felt like a full-circle moment. And then getting to work with him again on Dada was just the cherry on top. I really couldn’t have asked for more.”

Having started out as a child actor in films like Ferrari Ki Sawaari and Dangal, Ritvik has since built a varied body of work across films and series, including Flames, Indori Ishq, Campus Diaries and Jamnapaar. With Prahaar, he now steps into a more personal role as Aniket, bringing the father-son dynamic into a story inspired by the life and work of Ujjwal Nikam.

Ritvik’s upcoming slate also includes Dada, an upcoming sports biopic where he plays a hugely celebrated cricketer. While the identity of the character is being kept under wraps, the role marks another interesting addition to his growing body of work and another opportunity to share screen space with Rajkummar.

From a fan picture at the Stree success party to recreating it years later on the sets of Prahaar, Ritvik’s journey with Rajkummar has truly come full circle. Audiences can now see the duo step into their reel father-son roles when Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam arrives in theatres on October 16.

By Keerti Kadam