Exclusive | Rakul Preet Singh: Sexual health is as important as physical or mental health

Movies made with a social message, with a motive to educate while entertaining the audiences tend toborder ongetting preachy but Bollywood’s latest, Chhatriwali, steers clear from this. Starring Rakul Preet Singh in the lead as a quality control head at a condom factory, in a role we have never seen her essay before, the film opens that much needed channel to discuss safe sex practices among men and women. Rakul Preet Singh speaks to WION about making a film on sex education, starting a dialogue on paying emphasis to one’s sexual health along mental and physical and hoping to work with Kartik Aaryan and Ranveer Singh pretty soon.

Here are the excerpts from the exclusive chat:

WION: You are kickstarting the year 2023 with a relevant and socially important film. What will be the takeway for audiences from Chhatriwali?

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Rakul Preet Singh: I hope it becomes a conversation starter. To start with, I hope people get entertained with the film because that's our main agenda. I hope somewhere they start thinking that this is so basic and it's just made to sound like a big deal in our heads. What Padman did for a percentage of society which I feel helpedwomen to go and get their sanitary napkins without wrapping them in bundles of newspaper…..I really hope that this film also becomes a conversation starter in that way. That it gives women a voice and a choice to protect themselves and their health. Strange part is a lot of women dont even know that there’s something known as protection and how it’s okay to have a voice. They are just okay with the pain that comes with it – the miscarriages, abortions, unwanted pregnancies, the number of medicines they pop, the painkillers — and they think that this is a part of who they are.

WION: Will Chhatriwali help break it down for the common man the need to practise safe sex?

Rakul Preet Singh: The film is for a common man. Sanya is a girl from a small town, very relatable. You know, in spite of women employed in a condom factory, we still are a country where only 7 percent of the population uses protection due to which women face health issues. The film talks of the importance of sex education because if not then women are the sufferers. We never talk about how many abortions or miscarriages are okay for a human body to handle. It’s just 2. More than 2 out of 5 women have multiple miscarriages, abortions – they have at some point aborted because they were not ready and when they want to conceive there are multiple miscarriages because they have been taking contraceptives. So there is a such huge angle to sexual health which is neglected which I hope people will understand because it's equally important like your physical health. We pay so much attention to heart health and cardiovascular health, emotional health but sexual health is also a truth of our existence. We can't turn a blind eye towards it.

WION: Your character Sanya in the film plays a quality control head at a condom factory. How was the experience shooting for the film. As a layman one would assume that not a lot of women would be employed at a factory that makes condoms, purely because it's seen as taboo.Is that true?

Rakul Preet Singh: We shot in Pune in a huge condom factory. That was my first introduction to seeing one and I was shocked that 70 percent of employees were women. That was an eye opener and they are making condoms like any other product. Like how it would work in any factory. It's a process. It's a product for them. There are three kinds of checks that they go through – you will see in the movie.

WION: Since we are at the topic of discussing sexual health and the need for sex education. How do you feel about the introduction of sex education in schools and at what age should we broach this topic in front of kids as a family?

Rakul Preet Singh: It’s very important. Biologically, puberty hits by the age of 13. That means your body’s hormones change, that means your curiosity increases. There is a reason why the introduction to reproductive organs and other organs is in the 9th standard in school. You read the digestive system, you learn it but you want to skip over the reproductive organs chapter. There is a reason why it's part of the curriculum. You need to know about every part of your body as a matter of fact. It's simple science, nothing beyond that.

I feel that if you are aware, you will not make mistakes. When I was in high school, I too was one of those shy kids who would giggle during these classes. I used to think that you get pregnant after you kiss. In school there was this girl who would pop a night-after pill every time she kissed her boyfriend. She was in 11 or 12th standard and she had to be rushed for a surgery because she had 6 or 7 of them in a matter of a month. Also important is the way it's taught. As a society we need to normalise this education.

WION: Chhatriwali had a straight-to-OTT release. How do you feel about the film releasing on ZEE5 and foregoing theatres altogether?

Rakul Preet Singh: Technology is changing, people are changing and you have to change with time. The consumption patterns are changing – from Nokia to smartphones, the internet came to our computers to our phones and we adapted. It's about adapting with changing times. We are in the transitional phase and as actors our endeavour should be that our films reach the audiences. I am very happy that it's ZEE5 because their reach within Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities is wide. This is a conversation that needs to start from there as well. Digital platforms give you the reach.

WION: What Mimi was for Kriti Sanon, will Chhatriwali be for Rakul?

Rakul Preet Singh: I really hope so. I'll be lying if i say no but I really hope because Mimi did wonders for Kriti and she did a wonderful job. I remember messaging her after watching it because it really made me proud that another female actor is doing something so substantial. I always get inspired by my peers doing great work and Mimi was one of them. I hope that Chhatriwali also gets the love that Mimi got.

WION: What other projects can we see you feature in apart from Chhatriwali and what would be your dream cast/film for the coming year?

Rakul Preet Singh: Oh, dreams are very huge. To begin with, I really want to do a love story. I haven't done one in my filmography, whether in the south or here. Something like a DDLJ, Aashiqui type film. As for co-star, I would love to work with Kartik Aaryan, Ranveer Singh. I’m a workaholic, I can work every day.

After Chhatriwali, I have two more films that will release this year. Two in Tamil including Indian 2 with Shankar sir.