Rakul Preet Singh has declared that politics is not her cup of tea though she is acting in a political thriller, portraying hero Suriya's romantic interest in Nandha Gopalan Kumaran (NGK), directed by Selvaraghavan. She was willing to speak on what changes she expects from the new government and what politics should be, but she prefers to try and serve the country as an individual.
She speaks to DC about the upcoming film NGK and how she is not intimidated by the presence of yet another heroine in Sai Pallavi. She talks about Selva's different take in direction and her fan moment with Suriya.
How did NGK happen:
They had the idea during the Threeran Adhikaaran Ondru shoot. The news started making the rounds that I was part of Suriya's film. But there was no script ready. Later when I did Dev they approached me. They said “there are two heroines if you still want to do it”. I said as long as my part is good I would definitely take it. Moreover, I wanted to work with Selva sir, the fact that he brings out the best performance from an actor. A Telugu actor friend of mine vouched that if you are in Selva’s movie, you will see another angle to your acting that you have not seen so far. I liked the script as well.
Has her role anything to do with Nira Radia:
Ask her if her character has anything to do with political lobbyist Nira Radia, who was allegedly involved in the 2G spectrum scam and she says emphatically, "No not at all! I think it is getting deviated. From the trailer you would know that NGK is into politics. It's got a political side to it. But I have never played a character like this in terms of body language, the way she reacts etc. It's very well written and individualistic role.
Selva's 3-seconds rule:
Selva makes sure you don't blink, you don't breathe, you don't move your hands and legs — everything is controlled and he handles it all in a mature way. You don't just go and speak your lines. He makes you believe that you do it differently. He has this ‘3-seconds rule’. If someone says a dialogue, the other person should start his/her dialogue only after 3 seconds. Or else he would go for a retake.
Scope for performance:
The way Selva writes the character, he doesn't leave it open-ended. What you do in that space is that which matters and how he scales it and what he graphs matters. And it gives you so much of scope. Selva acts and demonstrates to everyone, including Suriya sir. I wouldn’t have acted the way I did in NGK had I not got the inputs from Selva sir. Even if I do 70 percent of what he does, it would be extraordinary on screen (smiles). That’s why you push yourself. We don’t go prepared for the shots.
Is she a Suriya fan:
I am a big fan of Suriya and I have watched many films including Kakka Kakka and Vaaranam Aayiram. I love Jyothika ma’am flicks too. Recently, I saw Magalir Mattum and I loved her performance.
Is she cut out for the drama of politics:
A lot of my friends say that I put things into perspective and am very clear about things, but I don’t think I can be in politics. I am very straightforward and not cut out for the drama. I want to bring about a change, which I want to do individually. Even without being in politics, I can still serve the society. I do my bit for education as brand ambassador for Beti Bachao Beti Padao program in Telangana — to protect and educate the girl children.
How deep is her knowledge of politics:
I have an idea what’s happening around. But I feel very sad to some extent there’s so much drama. It’s become like a TV serial with its TRP ratings and so many people are fighting for it. The idea of politics should be the growth of the country (I think I should say this). And parties should not fight with each other saying ‘I am better’. They should prove it with their work. It’s a democratic country and people have the right to choose. Things are good. It should be calm and nation should progress.
With election results coming in, what does she expect from new GOVT:
Stop a divide and rule campaigning. The entire country is together and every state should get what they deserve and grow. We should not pitch people against people, religion against religion, caste against caste — we need to grow above that. For that education is most important. If people are educated and inculcated with discipline, problems like employment and to an extent rapes and crimes will be reduced and women’s safety would be enhanced. These are very important right now for us to be a secure country.
