'Chhatriwali' Rakul Preet Singh: 'We are in 2023 and female sexual health and sex education are still taboo topics'

Rakul Preet Singh in a still from the just-released 'Chhatriwaali'.

In her last film, Doctor G, Rakul Preet Singh played a gynaecologist. In her latest release Chhatriwali (Zee5), directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar and co-starring Sumeet Vyas, she plays a quality-control head in a condom factory who decides to promote safe sex publicly and vocally. The slice of life film is built on a social message on the importance of male contraception and safe sex.

Singh speaks about her new work and how humour is a gateway for addressing sensitive and uncomfortable subjects. Edited excerpts:

This is the second film you're doing, in the recent time, that deals with a social issue. Do you feel films with a social message have an impact?

I don't know about that, but I definitely feel it could impact certain people into starting a conversation. We can never gauge how many people have changed their thought process or have gotten impacted. The main agenda of the film is always entertainment, and, then, through entertainment, if you can, you sort of impact the audience's mind to, at least, start thinking about what's being said. For example, someone who saw the film told me that after watching Chhatriwali, his wife and he spoke about when they should start having these conversations with their 10-year-old daughter. So, while we can’t gauge the real impact, I truly feel that even if one person's thought process changes because of a film, then it's a win-win.

Rakul Preet Singh in a still from 'Chhatriwali'." width="652" height="435" /> Sumeet Vyas and Rakul Preet Singh in a still from 'Chhatriwali'.

What is the story of Chhatriwali and what is your character's essence?  

It’s the story of a girl from a small town who, due to certain circumstances in life, comes to realise that this is an important conversation. The film is discussing safe sex and sex education. It's not that in the beginning she believes in it, but it's her journey in which she realises that this change is a must. There's not one scene in the film that you can't watch with your family. You know how films like Pad Man (2018) and Vicky Donor (2012) were. I think this is a very relevant film because somewhere, as a society, we are not open to these conversations. What I loved about the script is how it highlights the importance of safe sex, because it affects women adversely, and the kind of health implications it has on women. People don’t speak about how many miscarriages or abortions are normal for a human body because it's just limited to women. And it's a physically, emotionally and mentally traumatic experience. We are in 2023 and there is still such a taboo when we talk about female sexual health and sex education.

These topics are spoken of in awkward, hushed tones.

We are addressing that and the way we've addressed it is that this is basic science of the body. This is human biology. The more we embrace it and accept it, the more we are going to keep ourselves away from diseases. So, yes, there is a need for society to be aware. We've had sex education classes in school. But, yes, we approach it very differently. We giggle, we laugh, we are shy. But there is a reason that it's in the educational system. How you project the information is important. And we've done it via entertainment, via humour, as a very basic fact. Not to sort of preach anybody or to titillate.

Does comedy give an easier opening to take up such subjects?

Absolutely. It's like saying that when you give medicine to a child you sort of wrap it with something sweet or insert it into fruit or something. You have to disguise something society is not too comfortable with to make it more palatable. You have to create an environment that is comfortable for them to consume the theme.

What was the most interesting part of doing this role for you?

It's always different from what you've done. It's always exciting. I think my belief in the subject just grew the more we shot it. When I first read the script, I looked at it from the point of view that this is an author-backed role. It's great messaging. It's entertainment. It's a good film to be a part of. And when you start working on it, you go through the facts and it's very alarming as to what's happening. So many women don't even know that there is something known as contraception or protection. People are okay with the pain that comes along with it. They take painkillers. So, as an actor in the journey of this film, leaving out the performance part because that's something I cannot assess myself, but I felt that my belief in the subject just grew stronger. I feel that if you talk about physical health, mental health today and emotional health, then why not sexual health. It’s just as important.

What next for you?

I'm shooting for two Hindi films right now which should be released this year. One’s a romantic comedy and the other is a thriller and I am quite thrilled about them. Then there are two films in Tamil. I'm an entertainer, so I want to do everything. My endeavour is to have good roles, even if it's commercial films, because I don't want to get bored and I want meaty parts.

Any interest in being part of a web-series, which seems to be where the better written roles are?

I'm open to it. I'm reading some content. I haven't finalised anything, but I would really like to do something hard-hitting. So, let's see.