India Today Conclave Mumbai Session 9, Day 2 – From South to Bollywood – Crossover of challenges
On Day 2 of India Today Conclave Mumbai 2022, Rakul Preet Singh opened up about Bollywood vs South cinema, why Allu Arjun is her absolute favourite and if she is giving Akshay Kumar a run for his money at the box office.
Bollywood actress Rakul Preet Singh attended India Today Conclave Mumbai 2022 on November 5. The actress was part of a session called From South to Bollywood: Crossover of challenges. Rakul, who has been a part of the South as well as Bollywood films, shed light on several topics during the session. At the event, the actress was asked if she was giving competition to Akshay Kumar in terms of her film releases.
RAKUL PREET ON COMPETITION WITH AKSHAY KUMAR
At India Today Conclave Mumbai 2022, Rakul Preet said, “No actor wants his/her releases to happen within 10 days, which happened in the case of Doctor G and Thank God. It was a little bit of a pandemic because a few films got delayed and theaters were shut down. A lot of people have been telling me that are you giving competition to Akshay Kumar sir. And I think I need to work a lot more to do that. I am nowhere close to where he is.”
On working with Akshay Kumar, Rakul said that her first reading for Cuttputlli was at 5 am. “A lot of people thought it was 5pm. When we got the message, we got to know that is 5 am. So, the first reading ever of a film happened at 5 am. But he is an early morning person,” she said.
ON PRESSURE OF BEING SOCIALLY RELEVANT
When asked about the pressure of being socially relevant, Rakul added, “I just feel that the degree to which you want to take pressure is in your hands. It is easy to succumb to social media demands and stay relevant. But if you see my social media, I am not someone who follows all the trends. I do my own things. I feel you have to draw that line somewhere. If social media is also manicured and I have to put out pictures daily to stay relevant, I will lose my real self.”
IS BOLLYWOOD DEAD? RAKUL REACTS
Rakul Preet Singh, at India Today Conclave 2022, also spoke about the North versus South debate. She said, “Cinema is a language of emotion and not boundaries. The conversation has started now but veteran stars like Sridevi and Tabu have all worked in the South. There have been so many films that have been remade then and now. Today, they reach the high so we are having a discussion. But the pandemic has made us have discussions about content from the West, Korean or regional. The best of all worlds have come together.”
So, is Bollywood over? Rakul answered, “It’s just a phase. People love to write about things that are not working. But it takes a lot of effort behind a product. Today, South films are working but we are only talking about the ones that are released here. Others don’t release here and don’t work. Post the pandemic, the taste of the audience has changed. It’s not about South or Bollywood films working but the kind of cinema people want to watch. They need larger-than-life cinema.”
RAKUL WANTS TO STEAL THIS FROM ALLU ARJUN
Further, in conversation, Rakul was asked about the things she wanted to steal from her co-star. When asked about Allu Arjun, she said, “His dancing skills. He is my favourite. And his Pushpa’s hook step became very popular. It is so simple and popular, that he is dragging his feet in Srivalli. When he dances, he has no bones in his body. He is so amazing and effortless.”
Rakul Preet Singh went on to reveal what she should steal from Ajay Devgn. “The calm with the way he works. Having worked with him in Runway, I just saw how much ease and focus Ajay sir has.”
On a parting note, Rakul said she wants to steal Akshay Kumar’s ‘money’ from him.
