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Gajraj Rao Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1971

Age48 (as in 2019)

BirthplaceDungarpur, Rajasthan

ProfessionActor and Ad Filmmaker

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseSanjana Rao

FamilyTwo sons; elder son studying graphic design

Gajraj Rao Biography

Gajraj Rao is an Indian actor and ad filmmaker from Dungarpur, Rajasthan, whose career spans theatre, advertising and film. After early involvement with Dh

Early life and background

Gajraj Rao was born in 1971 and grew up in a lower-middle-class family originally from Dungarpur, Rajasthan. Much of his childhood and adolescence were spent in a railway colony in Delhi where his father worked for the Indian Railways. Exposure to people from different regions in the colony sparked Rao’s early interest in dialects and voices, a skill he later credited as formative for his work as an actor.

As a teenager he became involved in theatre, joining groups and attending performances at venues such as the Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts in Mandi House. While studying at Delhi University he was drawn deeper into the stage, and by age 16 he had begun participating in theatre productions. He trained and worked alongside contemporaries from notable theatre circles, including actors who later became prominent in film.

Career

Rao’s professional life has been a mix of acting, writing and advertising. Early on he took a variety of odd jobs in Delhi, including work at a tailor shop and in a garment company, while simultaneously writing for publications such as Navbharat and the Hindustan Times. That writing led to opportunities to script material for Doordarshan anchors and to a chance to develop audience-interaction programming offered by producer Siddhartha Basu.

A significant turning point came when director Pradeep Sarkar brought him into ad film scripting. Rao later co-founded the production house Code Red Films in 2003 with Subrat Ray, through which he wrote, directed and produced numerous commercial films. Code Red created advertisements for major brands including Maruti Suzuki, Samsung, Cadbury, Reliance Foundation, HUL, McDonald’s, Flipkart, Taaza Tea and Procter & Gamble. The company’s work earned recognition at festivals and awards such as Adfest Asia, Promax Singapore, The Cup, NYF and Asia Pacific Advertising.

Rao’s screen acting career includes supporting roles in several Bollywood features across the late 1990s and 2000s, such as Dil Se (1998), Aks (2001), Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002), Black Friday (2007) and Aamir (2008). He was introduced to director Shekhar Kapur by Tigmanshu Dhulia and appeared in Kapur’s Bandit Queen (1994).

Beyond film, Rao has worked on digital series and short films. His web-series appearances include A Day With RD Sharma (2016), F.A.T.H.E.R.S. (2017), Tech Conversations with Dad (2018) and TVF Tripling Season 2 (2019). He has directed short-form work such as the video Rorito: Write the New and produced documentaries including Budhia Singh: Born to Run (2016) and The Tribal Scoop (2018).

Mainstream recognition arrived with his role in the 2018 feature Badhaai Ho, in which he played the character Jeetendra Kaushik. The film brought him wider visibility and accolades. He continued to appear in high-profile films, including Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Lootcase in 2020.

Public profile

Rao is known for blending his advertising and acting careers. In interviews he has reflected on how early theatre experiences and collaborations with filmmakers and cinematographers shaped his sensibilities. He has spoken about formative collaborations in advertising, mentioning directors and cinematographers who influenced his approach to making short films and commercials.

On the personal side, Rao is married to Sanjana Rao and the couple have two sons; the elder son studies graphic design. Rao lists reading and travelling among his hobbies and has spoken publicly about his affectionate communication habits with his wife.

Latest updates

Recent years have seen Rao maintain a presence across film and digital platforms. After coming into the spotlight with Badhaai Ho in 2018, he continued to act in mainstream projects through 2020, while his production work with Code Red Films remains an active part of his professional profile.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Gajraj Rao, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
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Recent Work

Badhaai Ho

Played Jeetendra Kaushik, the father of the film's lead character; the role brought mainstream recognition in 2018.

2018
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan

Appeared in the 2020 Bollywood film.

2020
Lootcase

Appeared in the 2020 Bollywood film.

2020
Budhia Singh: Born to Run

Produced the 2016 documentary.

2016
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Career Highlights

  1. Co-founded ad production house Code Red Films in 2003.
  2. Played Jeetendra Kaushik in Badhaai Ho (2018), a breakthrough film role.
  3. Acted in notable films including Bandit Queen (1994), Dil Se (1998), Black Friday (2007) and Aamir (2008).
  4. Produced and directed award-winning commercial work for major brands and festivals.
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Gajraj Rao born?

1971

What is Gajraj Rao known for?

Actor and Ad Filmmaker

What is Gajraj Rao’s marital status?

Married

Who is Gajraj Rao married to?

Sanjana Rao