Only 10 days after the release of Doctor G in which she plays a feisty medical student, Rakul Preet Singh is ready with her final offering of 2022, Thank God. Her past four releases prove that her desire to do different roles is coming true. “I don’t want to be repetitive. Runway 34 is nothing like Doctor G, and Thank God is nothing like my last film. I want to do everything — from masala to hard-hitting movies,” she says.

Thank God, featuring Ajay Devgn and Sidharth Malhotra, belongs to the former category. But it goes beyond a laugh riot to ponder over our tendency to take things for granted. For Singh, the bigger draw was to play an honest cop, who is more successful than her husband, and unapologetically so. The actor says that she consciously chooses roles where the woman exercises complete agency.

“Being an Army kid, I have grown up with a voice. I operate like that in my personal space. I can’t be stopped from expressing my opinion. It reflects in the scripts I choose. I don’t want to do roles that have two scenes and one song. Thankfully, our generation of actors is working at a time when better parts are written [for women]. Films connect with the masses, and have potential to effect change. Thank God talks about the seven sins; it is about introspection and becoming a better person.”

The comedy reunites her with Malhotra after Aiyaary (2018) and Marjaavaan (2019). Stating that they bond over their Delhi roots, she adds, “He has had an incredible journey of making it big.”

In the last two months, Singh got a taste of both worlds — while Cuttputlli received largely negative reviews, Doctor G was celebrated for its progressive thinking. How does she process the feedback and apply it to her future work? “As an actor, I must give 200 per cent to a filmmaker’s vision and the story. If something doesn’t work, we feel bad, but we have to move on. My learning is always to find out how I can better myself. If someone says Rakul can’t act, I will take measures. I will give my all to my next [film].”