Rakul Preet Singh Interview: Not every film of mine needs to be socially conscious
In her over a decade-long career, Rakul Preet Singh has dabbled in various genres. There has been the socially conscious Doctor G, police procedurals like Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru, true-blue commercial entertainers like Sarrainodu, and romantic comedies like De De Pyaar De and Manmadhudu 2. Now, she is entering new territory with Boo, which is currently streaming on Jio Cinema.
The horror film, helmed by director Vijay, was shot during the pandemic, and was a direct-to-OTT release. Recollecting how she became part of the film, Rakul says, “Vijay said that there is this concept film he is doing that operated within a situational horror comedy space, and will be shot in one house. It was the lockdown, and many of us weren’t working. Vijay required some 15 days, and I too wanted to be part of something experimental. Given it came from a reputed filmmaker, and featured an all-woman cast, I felt the need to support such an attempt.”
This is her second straight OTT release after Chhatriwali. Asked how she sees the co-existence of theatres and streaming platforms, Rakul refers to the time period when radio and television co-existed. “As radio evolved to be FM, people adapted to the change in medium. Take, for instance, how the length of songs have reduced from 5-6 minutes to just a couple of minutes now. We need to evolve as per people’s expectations. The beauty of OTT is that we are not fighting for everyone to watch it during a specific window. At the same time, there are some films that are meant for the big screen experience. I think we have found a balance and both platforms will continue to co-exist.”
Be it Doctor G, Chhatriwali, or Konda Polam, Rakul has been part of films that impart socially-conscious messages. While acknowledging the goodness in such scripts, Rakul says that she does not seek to convey a message in every film. "The beauty of being an actor is that you can experiment and if there is a good script that backs a message, it is a win-win situation. I want to do commercial entertainers as well as socially-responsible films,” Rakul mentions.
Having made her debut in Kannada, worked predominantly in Hindi and Telugu films, and expecting big-ticket releases in Tamil, Rakul emphasises how women actors across eras have pioneered the pan-India phase way before it became a happening phenomenon. “It is just now that this phenomenon has a name. When you take women across eras, be it Tabu ma'am, or Sridevi ma'am, they have always been dabbling in multiple languages. I think it is a great time to be an actor.”
Looking at her filmography, it is clear that she is indeed having a great time as an actor. If Indian 2 is a dream project for her, Sivakarthikeyan's Ayalaan is one of her most-anticipated projects. "Ayalaan will be a sci-fi, futuristic, and kid-friendly film. It is something apt for big-screen viewing. Also, to be able to work with Kamal sir in Indian 2 still feels surreal to me. We know the national-level impact of the first film. This one will be even bigger,” she says.
Returning to the initial conversation about the genres she worked in her career, Rakul reveals her wish to do an out-and-out love story. “I want to do something like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge or Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. I also want to do a biopic though I haven’t really thought of whose. There are so many untold stories and I think cinema gives scope to tell them all,” she signs off.