Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; November 10, 2019)

When Rakul Preet Singh entered Bollywood with Yaariyan in 2014, many thought of her as just another South actress testing waters in Hindi cinema. However, over the years, slowly but steadily, she has proven that she is here to stay. The actress is now geared up for the release of her next — director Milap Milan Zaveri’s Marjaavaan. Ahead of the film’s release, she talks to BT about juggling South and Hindi films, what she looks for in a film and her definition of love. Excerpts...

You were hugely successful in South films before you entered Bollywood, and continue to be so. Juggling two industries can be quite demanding, but you seem to have pulled it off. How do you manage to do that?
I am going crazy with the juggling act. In fact, people down South feel that I am not doing enough work there. If I am dividing my time between Hyderabad and Mumbai, I can’t take up four (South) films a year like before. I am still doing two Tamil films and one Telugu movie, running back and forth the entire time. It is back-breaking. Bollywood demands a lot of your time, and even when you are not shooting, you need to make your presence felt. In the South, your manager does the talking for you, but here, it’s critical to add a personal touch.

Are you saying that networking, socialising and attending filmi parties are necessary to bag opportunities in Bollywood?
No, that’s not what I meant. In Bollywood, it’s more about the personal touch you have with people, you reach out yourself for the kind of films you want to be a part of. Also, let me tell you, nobody is going to give you work just because you attended a party. It helps to touch base with everyone, but only good work begets more work. Today, content is what matters and because of that, there is an increasing demand for talent. If you are talented, it might take time, but at the end of the day, you will find your place. Mumbai and Hyderabad are both very welcoming that way. They also appreciate hard-work. If you are hard-working, people are ready to give you a chance.

Over the past few years, you have been dividing your time between Mumbai and Hyderabad. Does living out of your suitcase leave you with a sense of rootlessness?
I am an Indian at heart. Ours is a diverse country with multiple cultures, languages and religions, and I feel the same everywhere. I have always said that Hyderabad is my home, and Mumbai is my house. And, if I am shooting at some other location, I will belong there for some time. I am an Army kid, and I have lived out of suitcases and cartons all my life.

Marjaavaan will see you reuniting on screen with your Aiyaary (2018) co-star, Sidharth Malhotra. While you share a good rapport with him, this film also features Tara Sutaria. Did you guys try hard to make her feel a part of your group?
Sidharth and I hit it off really well during Aiyaary. It’s always fun to work with someone you share a rapport with. You do not really have to worry about whether he would like certain things you do during the shoot. You just have to give your best to the scene. With Tara, though, I shot only for a couple of days, as we did not have too many scenes together. But we shared a friendly equation during those couple of days.

So far, we have seen you in two-heroine projects in Bollywood. In such a scenario, do you ever worry about whether you are paired opposite the hero, or your screen time?
I look at everything — the script, role and the director. I will not take up a role, which is neither opposite the hero nor meaty. To be honest, the first few projects choose you. I would be lying if I said that I chose De De Pyaar De. The makers chose me and I am grateful for that. So far, I am happy with what I have done in Bollywood, since all of them have been performance-oriented roles. For me, it’s important that my character is part of the main plot. I don’t want to be there for just four songs and four scenes. I am not saying that I don’t want to do typical commercial films. I love the naach-gaana, but having said that, I also want to start filtering the offers. I am doing a Telugu film in which I play a criminal lawyer. Indian 2 (Tamil), too, is on the floors. I have also signed four Bollywood films recently. I am just looking for opportunities to showcase my versatility. It is my strength and I want to play to that. And, it’s not easy to sell versatility. Someone had asked me long back, ‘How do we categorise you? Hot? Cute? Girl next door?’ I replied, ‘If you can’t sell my versatility, that’s a problem.’ Why do you need to slot me into a category? Let me be hot, cute, the girl next door, and the girl kicking some mean butt, all in one.

Tell us about your role in Marjaavaan...
I have a special appearance in Marjaavaan, but my character (Arzoo), is paired opposite Sidharth. Also, the character, that of a prostitute, was so interesting that I just wanted to play it. Milap’s (director) selling point was, ‘Yeh meri Rekha hai Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) ki, Tabu from Jeet (1996), and Chandramukhi from Devdas . He told me that there are some vanilla roles, which are of a conventional heroine, and there others that are powerful. I realised that this character is different; in fact, such roles were mostly written in the 90s.

The film has been described as a ‘violent love story’. What is your take on love?
Love, for me, is a selfless emotion. But I feel that it has somehow lost its way in today’s time. We have started misusing it. I believe in the kind of love where you don’t really try to possess the object of your affection. You just love with your whole being. I know it’s deep and probably, that’s why I am single (laughs!).