EXCLUSIVE | Rakul Preet Singh: 'I really want to do a love story like DDLJ, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, actor Rakul Preet Singh and director Tejas Vijay Deoskar open up on their upcoming film Chhatriwali that streams on Zee5 from January 20, why safe sex and protection still remain taboo, and much more.

It’s raining films for Rakul Preet Singh

Is it appropriate your new film is called Chhatriwali because of the above reason? She smiles and says, ‘I hope I can keep holding the umbrella and it keeps raining scripts for me.’

Narrating films from a woman’s point of view

Tejas, who earlier made Bucket List with Madhuri Dixit and now makes Chhatriwali with Rakul Preet Singh, says, ‘The strongest character one has around actors is a woman character. It’s very appropriate that you have strong characters around you, and it’s also high time that you tell the other facets of the society from the female point of view. It’s not a goal per se to tell women’s stories, it’s only coincidental that I got a very good story after a Bucket List that was a female oriented subject.”

‘Only 7% users of condoms in our country’: Rakul

Rakul opens up about changing perceptions and creating awareness about safe sex. She says, “This has been going on ever since I have been watching television, the Government running an initiative and trying to educate people but there are still only 7% of users of condoms in our country.” She adds, “Being a highly populated country, this is a very low figure. It never happens instantly, it’s a process that takes time, and that’s why more and more films like these should be made. Through entertainment, you can hopefully impact the mindsets of people.”

‘Bizarre that we still hesitate to ask for condoms or sanitary napkins at medical shops’

The actress also says, “I find it very bizarre because both the things are a need for the society. Sanitary napkins are a necessity for every woman, it’s normal science. The same goes for condoms, it’s important not only for controlling population but also the ill effects it has if you don’t use one; the unplanned pregnancies, miscarriages or abortions, or any other trauma a woman goes through. It’s really important that you respect women in a true sense.”

On laughing in school and college during chapters about sex and reproduction

Tejas says, “This is how we are conditioned. This has been happening for the last 100-150 years, before that, we could openly discuss such topics openly at places of worship, temples, Khajurao, or even the temples in South. You would find sexual health being portrayed very clearly. It’s only in the last 100-150 years that we have gone into a shell, even a kid is not completely open to talking about it and so are the parents.”

Rakul continues, “I was one of those kids who giggled. It actually came into my mind when I took the movie up, it’s actually true. Despite being from the city and belonging to a fairly liberated family, why was I giggling in class? This is due to the conditioning the society has on you and the people around you. It’s high time we change that because if it’s a part of the curriculum in schools, more teachers should make it as a matter of fact, a normal science and biology of the body. The more it’s given out in terms of facts, the more normal it will become.”

Is Mumbai too struggling with this lack of awareness?

Rakul reveals, “Yeah yeah, you go a little far away from Bandra in the different areas of Khar and you’ll find that we are not one society, we are different strata when it comes to our beliefs and taboos. It’s high time we draw a line between what’s culture and what’s sensible and what’s the need.”

“My actors have been performing on screen and on stage for a long time”: Tejas

Chhatriwali also boasts off the ensemble of Sumeet Vyas. Rajesh Tailang, Satish Kaushik, Dolly Ahluwalia, and the director has some wonderful things to say about them. He says, “My actors have been performing on screen and on stage for a long time. Narrating the script to them is an interesting process always when you have a great cast. You have to think about justifying their characters also, not for them but for the film also. I don’t want to waste a good actor in just portraying him superficial. I always try to understand what the ethos of that character is. When I reached out to these actors, all of them were asking the right questions.”

The importance of a platform like OTT

Rakul says. “It’s the best platform to tell a story like this. When you tell a story about a subject that’s still taboo, you’re not sure whether people are going to come to the cinemas or not. But with a digital platform, even if they are not comfortable watching the film with the family, they can always watch it alone and then get impacted. To reach your target audience, you need to have the right medium; and with Zee5’s reach even to the tier two and tier three cities,, it’s a win win situation for us.”

“Woke up to Cuttputlli becoming the most viewed film on OTT”

An elated Rakul exclaims, “I woke up to this news and it feels very very great. I saw it somewhere on social media a night before and obviously you don’t know whether it’s the right fact or not. But we actually learned that it was the highest viewed film of 2022 and that has made me very happy.”

“I’m dreaming of a love story like DDLJ, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”

A beaming Singh, on being asked what she wants to do next, says, “Love story, I’m dreaming of a love story, I’m giving it out to the universe that I want to do a heart-wrenching love story, ekdum dard dene waali love story. Yaariyan wasn’t an Aashiqui, De De Pyaar De was a very progressive love story. I’m talking about something like a DDLJ, a Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, or a Sita Ramam, which is a beautiful love story, something like that.”

“It’s a tricky question”: Tejas

This is how he responds when asked about his one takeaway from the film. But he does add something and says, “The film is yet to be out so I hope I get a good response. The most important takeaway for me has been to believe in yourself, keep doing what you want to do even if it takes time. As you spoke about failure, it makes you devalue success, not in a negative way, but you take it as it comes. You don’t need to chase success as such. This film teaches me that.”

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