Obsession: actor Dileep Rao from 'Inception,' 'Avatar'

By Sarah Sluis

How many actors can call Avatar their first film, Drag Me to Hell their second, and Inception their third? On Monday, I linked to an interview with the actor Dileep Rao from New York Magazine, and his name was again drawn to my mind when I saw that Inception grossed $1.6 million from Indian audiences. I Googled a

few more interviews, and was impressed by his intelligence and specificity. He doesn't gush in interviews; he offers specific examples and well-thought-out analyses of both artistic decisions and plot points. Who else uses the words "mental heuristic failure," "anti-narrative structuralism" in one response, while still managing to sound coherent and grounded? (That would be the New York Magazine interview). He also has a scientific background, coming from a family of scientists and himself pursuing a pre-med background before deciding to become an actor (one holding an MFA, of course). I once had a professor who claimed that a scientific background could lead to a successful career as a director, citing director Frank Capra's background as a chemical engineer. The same could be said about James Cameron, whose scientific endeavors span deep-sea exploration and digital film development. Perhaps that's why he cast an unknown, Rao, in the role of a scientist for Avatar. Before Avatar, his most prominent IMDB credit was as a contestant on "Jeopardy" in 2002 (itself a hallmark for intelligence).

While it's tempting to say that Indian moviegoers were drawn to Inception last weekend in part because of its casting of an emigrant, the movie's reputation as a whole probably drew more audiences. In an interview with The Telegraph

in Calcutta, Rao pointed out his lack of experience in the Bollywood genre. "I don't know how much use I would be in

a Bollywood movie. I have a lot of respect for that industry. It's a

bit removed from me now, but if it becomes a reality, you will see me

on screen singing and dancing somewhere."

It sounds like Rao may have many more roles in his future. I would describe him as a more low-key actor

that tends to blend in with his surroundings; a true supporter versus the type of character actor that steals every scene. Though he has no more projects listed as in the works, maybe Rao will turn out to be "that" supporting actor that looks oddly familiar to people--and able to provide some impressive explanations of mind-boggling movies like Inception. I'll leave with this quote from him talking about the ending of Christopher Nolan's movie [spoiler alert]:

"Close your eyes and listen to the sound at the end. I really do think the top wobbles and that it's real. Cobb does go on a journey, because that's what movies are, and I think that's what leads audiences to this kind of speculation. Because of the story he chose to tell, Nolan is also commenting on the nature of stories themselves, all stories, which is why Leo's change can't be evidence that it's all a dream.

"...There's also kind of a beautiful negative symmetry between that leap of faith [when Cobb agrees to take on the job from Saito in exchange for bringing him back home to his family], and Mal begging him to make a similar leap of faith. After he did that with her, and the guilt plagues him, he can't function anymore. He's exploring his memories in a dangerous, unhealthy way, and he's going to let that go by the time the movie's over."