For someone like actor Rahul Singh, creativity and art is something that was imbibed in him from childhood. His mother Dr Prabha Thakur is a poet and a member of the Parliament while his father is in the hotel industry. Having grown up on a diet of poems, and an appreciation for arts and drama, it was only natural that he too would go on to pursue his creative interests. The actor is known for his roles in Zubeidaa which got him nominated for a National award, Delhi Belly, Tere Bin Laden and the recently released Zed Plus. “I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to act. After graduation, I went to England and enrolled myself in the Royal academy of arts for three years. In between, during my higher studies in India, I was also doing a lot of plays,” he recalls.
Rahul’s bent towards acting was intially met with apprehension on part of his parents but Rahul reveals that they got around eventually. “My father wasn’t very happy with the fact but after he saw my performance in a play, his misgivings went away. My first break was with Zubeidaa,”shares Rahul. He has a family connect with Telangana. “Kuch na kuch connection raha hai with Hyderabad. Shyam Benegal who gave me my first break is from here. Then recently I came to know that some of my ancestors belong to Telangana,” reveals Rahul.
However, he is game for any kind of role. “Whenever any director asks me what kind of role I would like to do, I ask them instead aap ko kya lagta kaun sa role mere liye best hoga (what do you think, which role will be best for me). With blockbuster films Ghajini, Ready, Wanted, Rowdy Rathore being remakes of Southern films, Rahul says, “Mera idea yeh hai ki jahan se yeh films aa rahi hai, wahin jaake films kyun na ki jaye(The idea is act in the films which are then remade in Bollywood). I’m game for any kind of role. I can sport a handlebar moustache if need be.” As an actor who has an interesting catalog of work, Rahul admits that a good script is very important to him. “I have seen some of the recent films that have come out and no matter the cast which made a a lot of collection at the box office but didn’t have any story. At the end of the day, you need a a good and strongly backed story.”
In the limited time that he has spent in the city, Rahul observes that the people from Southern film industry no matter how big or powerful are very down to earth. “I met a few directors and producers here and I found all of them to be very down to earth and humble. I met Puri Jagannath and Srinu Vaitla. I found both of them to be so gracious.” In the meantime, the actor is awaiting the release of his films Tere Bin Laden part 2 and Satra Ko Shaadi.