Rakul Preet Singh says people shouldn’t play ‘blame game’ amid the narrative of Hindi films not working: ‘Every industry is going through a phase’

Ahead of the release of her film Chhatriwali on ZEE5, Rakul shared with indianexpress.com that one must look at the Indian film industry holistically and ask bigger question, rather than play “blame game.” When asked is there something that Hindi films aren’t doing right, Rakul said the chatter on social media is not nuances as every industry is going through that phase of fewer films working.

“If we say South films, they are four different industries. That way, the North film industry would include Marathi films, Punjabi, Hindi films. It is a great time then, because Ved has worked, some Punjabi films have worked, Hindi films have worked. We create the narrative.  Every industry has at least two films releasing every week.

“There’s an RRR that worked in Telugu, there’s Kantara and KGF 2 in Kannada, Vikram and PS 1 worked in Tamil. Many wouldn’t know the Malayalam films that have worked because they have not been released in Hindi. Everywhere it is the same story, and we need to ask a bigger question: why.”

Rakul said fewer films working across industries could be a sign that may be people, especially post pandemic, are restricting their theatrical outings. It is possibly a phase where people “are getting back slowly after a pandemic,” she said.

“Not everyone can afford to spend money every week in theatres, when they know it’s going to be available online in sometime, so they choose one film a month, which will be like an outing for the family. May be that’s what it is, may be affordability is the problem, may be pricing is the problem. There are too many questions which we should ask than play a blame game. Because even in Hindi four-five films have worked.

“The global film industry is going through a change in trend, where the consumption due to technology, exposure to OTT has changed. It will take a year or two, for us to know how people’s viewing patterns have changed and be at a better position to comment what has happened. This is a transition phase,” she added.

When asked how does it feel like to be an artiste in this phase, Rakul quipped, “not great.” The actor then explained that artistes are currently “figuring out” and hence the choices will now become “tougher”.

“When De De Pyaar De had released (2019), there was not even a thought that if this would work in theatres. You are sure of the film, and you know people will receive it well. Today, the choice of films and the medium the film needs to travel to is a question. Even we are figuring that out as you are or the audience. It is a different phase and we need to put that much thought into it,” she added.

Rakul is currently gearing up for the release of Chhatriwali, billed as a slice-of-life drama. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala and directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, the film features Rakul in the role of the quality control head at a condom factory. Chhatriwali will release on ZEE5 on January 20.

The actor said a film like Chhatriwali, which is on a topic that’s “considered taboo”, it’s better if it comes on an OTT platform because at least one gets an opportunity to reach out to the target audience.

“When you are hoping to change the mindset of the audience through your film, you have to first get them to watch it. In theatres, initially they may not be comfortable to go with their families because of a preconceived notion, but on OTT they can watch it alone, change that notion, and think this is something we can watch with our families,” she added.