I compete with myself, not with the Khans: Rajkummar Rao

Rajkummar Rao's work has helped him find a foothold in filmdom and the actor, who even won the prestigious National Award, says his competition is with himself, and not with the reigning Khans of Bollywood.

It's seen that Khans - Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir - are seen as the benchmark of success, but Rajkummar looks up to them as his seniors and not as his competitors.

"I don't compare myself with the Khans," he said and added: "They are my seniors, I appreciate their work and I am their fan. My competition is with myself and not with the Khans."

After his widely acclaimed performances in films like "Ragini MMS" and "Kai Po Che!" as well as "Shahid", for which he won the National Award, he is gearing up for the release of "Citylights", directed by Hansal Mehta.

He found his role as the main lead in the movie "challenging" because he had to make sure that "while acting for the film I should not look like Shahid. So I had to work hard for the film".

"It's an emotional love story. It's about a couple who live in Rajasthan and come to Mumbai to lead a better life. It's about their journey," he added.

"Cityligts" is an adaptation of British film "Metro Manila". The film also features Patralekha in the female lead.

Asked about his aspirations, the actor said: "I want that this journey continues for long. My attempt is to show a different Rajkummar in each of my films."