‘I believe in confounding expectations’

Rakul Preet Singh talks to us from London, where she is currently shooting for her untitled project with Akshay Kumar. Meanwhile, she is excited to hear from her fans about Konda Polam co-starring Panja Vaisshnav Tej and is directed by Krish Jagarlamudi. The trailer has clocked almost 10 million views and is being called a visual spectacle in which Rakul fits the bill of a rural belle named Obulama. “We have recreated a jungle book of sorts. The characterisations are substantial and Konda Polam will be a first-of-its-kind movie for the Indian audience. It revolves around the lives of shepherds and what they go through,” she starts off. When she heard Obulama’s character she realised that it is going to be challenging. “I haven’t played such a role before. I agreed to do the role instantly as Krish narrated it to me. Everything happened quickly and we began shooting for the film in the next couple of weeks after narration. Many of us couldn’t wait to get back to work after the first lockdown,” adds the actress. 

Rakul has broken several stereotypes over the years across languages and says that there is no specific formula that she follows to stand out in Indian cinema. “I look at the responsibility I have been handed over in each film I sign. It is just the perseverance and hard work that can take an individual places. Moreover, as an actor I strongly believe that the conviction for the craft has helped me in making better choices with each film,” she explains. Her roles of Naina in Shimla Mirchi, Manasa in Check, and Radha in Sardar Ka Grandson in recent times are solid proof of it. “Each of these characters is unique in their own way and it is quite difficult to draw comparisons. Obulama is an author-backed role that I believe will resonate with the audience on October 8 when they watch it in theatres. Moreover, through Obulama the audience and even filmmakers can make out that an actor necessarily doesn’t have to play roles that are close to what they look off-screen. The beauty lies in confounding the expectations,” she explains. 

Even before the word pan-Indian actor started doing the rounds, Rakul Preet carved a niche for herself in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and has half a dozen Hindi projects on hand currently. However, she says she doesn’t sit back and evaluate her past work. “It is because I have so much more to do. I am ambitious and passionate about my profession. I am also grateful for all the opportunities I have landed to date. It has been a journey of immense learning as I don’t come from a filmy background. I can only hope that I get exciting roles as always.” 

Rakul’s posts on health and fitness have always been a go-to place on social for fitness enthusiasts and beginners. Tell her that people have started eating curd rice with chia pudding ever since she put it up on her Instagram account, she says with a smile, “I am glad to hear that many liked it. I love healthy foods and I will keep them coming on social media for people to try it.”