Actress RakulPreet Singh claims regional cinema is becoming more accessible to metropolitan audiences in Chandigarh.

An Army kid, a hyper actor, a Sardarni in love with food and a free-spirited girl, when Rakul Preet Singh was in Chandigarh for a brief halt, she won hearts along with her pretty looks and wit. Part of the 3rd Chandigarh Music and Film Festival 2023, Rakul opened up on her journey. Rakul bagged her first film, a Kannada movie titled Gilli, during her college years. “I did it thinking it was my chance to have my first car before any of my friends,” she laughed. One film led to others and not before long, she had tasted stardom. “I was bowled over on the sets on the very first day when everybody started calling me ma’am, as I was just 18!” Slowly, Rakul cemented her place in the Telugu industry, but started afresh in Hindi cinema, “It didn’t come easy, but I wanted to take my chance. My first Hindi film was supposed to be MS Dhoni, but dates changed and I had prior commitment. So, it was only with Aiyaary that I got the first break in Hindi cinema.” Soon followed De De Pyar De, Cutputli, Doctor G, Thank God and Chhatriwali, among others. Great phase “I really enjoy this phase of our cinema that there are such beautiful roles written for the likes of Shefali ma’am, Tabu, Taapsee, Bhumi; I loved what Kriti Sanon did in Mimi.” For those who believe that nobody gets work in Bollywood without ‘compromising’, Rakul said, “Till date nobody has ever done or said anything remotely demeaning to me. Getting work on the basis of your sheer capability might take long, but I wasn’t aiming at overnight success anyway. So, the journey has been beautiful.” She credits it all to her Army upbringing, “Much of my confidence, comes from Army culture. You carry yourself in a way that nobody can dare to be disrespectful.” Having worked with who’s who of regional cinema, Rakul shared, “The pandemic broke boundaries and regional cinema became accessible to urban audience. Today we have women leading the films as there is an audience for it, similar is the case with films in different languages.” She said spectacles like RRR or Pathaan would always be successful in cinema, and content-driven films, like her Chhatriwali, were cut-out for OTT. “The industry is still figuring out the dynamics and I am sure it’s just matter of time till we find the right formula.” Rakul also regaled Chandigarh University students . “Do not trust the narratives sold to you, think and question, and as long as you are working hard, you can achieve what you dream.” ‘Content is the hero’ Actors Vinay Pathak and Yashpal Sharma too were part of the Chandigarh Music and Film Festival 2023, and shared interesting anecdotes from their long spanning careers. “I learnt a lot from my senior co-actors, but much from the legendary Om Puri. All your talent, hard work and training aside, it’s more important to be a good human being first. Only then can you become a true artiste,” said Pathak. Yashpal Sharma shared. “It is very important to break the herd mentality. When I made my first film as a director, Dada Lakhmi, I gave six years of my life to it, as I wanted to create something novel. National Award from the President and a run at Cannes, the film has been watched and loved globally.” He also asked the students to take their local stories and reach out to the global audience, as today ‘content is the hero’.