Rakul Preet Singh is quick to correct me when I call her a ‘doctorni ji’, a prefix attached to female doctors in common parlance, especially in north India. She laughs shyly but adds, “A doctor is a doctor. There are no differences of gender and that’s what we want to say through our film.”
In the upcoming film Doctor G, the debut directorial of Anubhuti Kashyap, Ayushmaan Khurrana is seen in a fish out of bowl situation with the actor playing a medical student trying to sustain, hilariously, in the all-female gynaecology course. Rakul plays Dr. Fatima, the batch mate of Ayushmann’s Uday Gupta. The trailer shows her as Uday’s friend, lending an ear to his exasperations with the course and teaching him lessons on gender parity on the way. Such hero’s journeys, it is often observed, have underwritten female leads. They merely act as catalysts in the protagonist’s character development. Rakul, however, doesn’t agree. “I think behind every successful man there is a woman and behind every successful woman there is a man. The people who act as catalysts in your journey are equally important.” She describes her character as opinionated, sassy and fun, but also someone who takes her work seriously.
But the role is not the only thing that lured her to the film. “I loved the first narration. It is one of those films, whose script when I first heard, I was just waiting for it to start. The great part about Doctor G is that it is an enjoyable, funny film but it also gives you a message, without being preachy,” the actor adds.
When it comes to streams, career choices or work in general there is still a sort of gender divide in India. Ayushmann’s character Uday feels awkward while examining the female anatomy. His sense of false emasculation is wrapped in humour. “It is the societal conditioning which makes men feel that way. The top gynecologists of the country are male, even fashion designing is dominated by men. I think it should not matter what gender you belong to, as long as you are good at your job.”
Even Rakul’s choice of subject in undergrad was kind of a break from gender norms. She did a degree in mathematics, which is considered a strong suit for men, even when scientifically proven otherwise. “I was one of the few girls who liked math. I really enjoyed playing with numbers and had plans of pursuing an MBA in Finance or Brand Management but then modeling and films happened,” she reminisces.
“Now I only use the numbers to count my calorie intake,” she adds, with a little laugh.
In Doctor G’s trailer, Rakul is ragging Ayushmann’s Uday. When asked if any incidents of ragging happened in college, she is quick to say, “Just introductions and stuff, all in good taste.” Any requests to sing or dance? “I was asked to dance once but it was harmless.”
When it comes to filmography, Rakul’s is loaded. Since her debut in the Kannada film Gilli in 2009, the number of films she does in a year has only increased. Even in 2020 and 2021, when the country was going through the pandemic she had two releases, the Hindi film Shimla Mirchi, and Check, a Telugu release. She has already had three films this year: Attack, an action thriller with John Abraham; the aviation-legal-drama Runway 34 with Ajay Devgn, and the psychological mystery Cuttputlli with Akshay Kumar. In addition to Doctor G, she is also awaiting the release of Thank God with Sidharth Malhotra and Ajay Devgn. “It gets hectic though, but I love hectic,” she says enthusiastically. “Maybe because I come from an Army background (her father being an officer) and I didn’t know any other way. Even when I was a kid, after school there were coaching for swimming, lawn tennis, badminton, skating, golf, you name it. Madness is my calm, I guess.”
Doctor G also stars Shefali Shah and Sheeba Chaddha. It is slated to be released on October 14.
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