Every actor waits for a good phase that is destined to knock at the door some point of time, and now it looks like Rakul Preet Singh is the chosen one. NTR, Ram Charan, Mahesh, Ravi Teja… name any prominent star who is working on a film, and Rakul is the heroine.
Does she attribute her success to a wise selection of films? “When we take a decision we don’t know if it will be right or wrong. Sometimes things shape up well and work in our favour. My first film would have been Rough and it got delayed. Venkatadri Express released first and became a big success. I signed Venkatadri after 15 days of shooting for Rough . I had lot of faith in the script and I feel luck plays a major part,” she says.
Rakul requests the media not to address her as the ‘Golden Girl’ and says it isn’t fair since the entire team puts in an effort to make a film successful. She stresses that if a film doesn’t work, it is not going to be her fault. “If the girl is good looking and talented and for some reason the film doesn’t work, she gets a second chance. But if subsequent films don’t work, she gets branded as an ‘iron leg’, the whole thing gets negative. I don’t think one should attribute the success and failure of a film to a single actor. When you decide to do a film you weigh the pros and cons before taking a call. Only when you run out of patience, get insecure and feel your career is heading nowhere, do you sign anything that comes your way. When I was going through a phase when nothing was happening, I chose to wait. This happened after the success of Venkatadri Express. I was sure of getting films but didn’t get any for about four monthsI always maintain that the first time a film chooses you and then you choose a film,” she avers.
The actor reminisces that nothing came easy for her. She could have debuted through a big movie; she even shot in one for three or four days; then she was replaced by someone else. Yet she never lost her spirit, remained positive and has no bitterness. “I was young and amateurish at that time, not ready to face the industry,” reason Rakul. “If I am given a chance to work with the same team now, I would work with confidence and give a better output. People ask if success changes one overnight. I am just doing my job and I worked way too hard to get here. I didn’t get it easy. I did five films before Venkatadri Express happened. If you get it easy you don’t value your work and if you work hard nothing can get to your head.”
Rakul will be seen in Pandaga Chesko with Ram, Kick 2 with Ravi Teja, Brahmotsavam with Mahesh and a film with Ram Charan to be directed by Srinu Vaitla, apart from Sukumar’s film starring NTR. She knows she is in the big league and is clear about striking a balance. She is aware that offbeat films are for a limited audience and she wants to entertain the mass. “I need to have a long run and I can’t get my bread and butter from experimental films. I would like to do a film like that once in a while. If Kangana can do a Queen why can’t I? I would love to do a film that is out of the box and create history but that will happen only if something nice comes my way,” she says.
She is also excited to be a part of a Hindi film Shimla Mirch directed by Ramesh Sippy after 20 years. The film has Hema Malini playing her mother. Rakul denies the story is about a mother and daughter falling in love with the same man; she insists it is an adaptation of a French film, changed a bit to suit Indian sensibilities. The film is scheduled to release in July.
In Pandaga Chesko , she is an environmentalist who believes that if she doesn’t exist there wouldn’t be any greenery in this world. “I am so attached to plants and leaves that I talk to them, which is not actually funny. It is situational humour, I am sentimental about cutting trees but the audience might laugh,” she signs off.
