Raghav Juyal turns 35 today, and the actor is marking the milestone with a film that puts him front and centre as a leading man for the first time. Bhai Tera Star Hai, directed by Vivek B. Agrawal, casts Juyal as Ajay Singh, a self-declared “delusional actor” chasing stardom against the odds, and Juyal says the part hits close to home.

Raghav Juyal opens up on surviving in Bollywood without backing; says, "You need complete delusion"

Raghav Juyal opens up on surviving in Bollywood without backing; says, “You need complete delusion”

Why self-belief matters more than backing

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Juyal said unwavering conviction becomes essential when an actor has no powerful producer or mentor pushing their career forward. “You need it completely,” he said. “When you don’t have a massive producer’s hand on your head, and you don’t have anyone waiting in the wings to launch you, you have to build your own ecosystem out of pure belief. You have to just look at a mountain and say, ‘Let’s go for it, we will make it happen.’”

Juyal added that the journey has taken sixteen years, a timeline that, in his view, demands total conviction. “It took me 16 years to get here, and that kind of drive only happens when you believe in the impossible, when you are a little delulu,” he said, adding, “If you don’t back yourself with that level of intensity and improve your positioning, nobody in this industry will touch you. I’m flying solo, I’m bringing something new, and I’m going full out.”

A fresh take on comedy

Juyal said he was drawn to Bhai Tera Star Hai because it breaks from formula. “I just felt that it is not like any other film we have been watching for years. It’s fresh, new, and highly experimental,” he said, noting that he has never gone by the typical comedy playbook, pointing to the edgy humour of The Ba***ds of Bollywood as another example.

He believes the comic space once ruled by Govinda, and later by Priyadarshan’s films, has sat empty for years, and named his biggest influences without hesitation. “In India, it was always Govinda! He could carry an entire film singlehandedly. Internationally, Jim Carrey is a massive influence,” he said. Even as he takes on intense, serious work such as 11.11, Juyal said comedy remains the genre he enjoys most, and also the hardest to get right, calling it “a pure game of timing and rhythm.”

Turning 35 with new found patience

Looking back at his thirties, Juyal said he has swapped the chaos of his twenties for patience and self-control. “I’ve developed patience and temperamental control. A decade ago, I was a loose cannon, completely chaotic. Today, I am much more self-aware. Life has taught me what to say, when to say it, and why to say it,” he said.

For the first time in his sixteen-year career, Juyal threw himself a proper birthday party, screening the Bhai Tera Star Hai trailer for his guests. “In my entire 16-year career, this is the very first time I threw myself a proper birthday party. I screened our trailer for everyone. Having the industry and reviewers love the trailer for my first solo hero film is the greatest birthday gift I could have asked for,” he said.

Bhai Tera Star Hai, the comedy entertainer is scheduled to release in cinemas on July 30, 2026

Also Read: Niki Walia reveals why Bhai Tera Star Hai was an instant yes: “My character is so out of my comfort zone”