Left golf midway as I was getting tanned

Says the current sensation Rakul Preet Singh who is awaiting the release of ‘Venkatadri Express’ and speaks Telugu much better than most other heroines!

Pawan Kalyan enjoys a demi-God status and commands a following that is second to none. I would like to meet him once and if I get an opportunity to work with him, why not? I would also want to work with Allu Arjun- Rakul Preet Singh

For Rakul Preet Singh who won Miss Fresh Face, Femina Miss Talented, Femina Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss India People’s Poll and Femina Miss Beautiful Eyes, a first-of-its-kind in the history of Miss India Finals at the 2011 pageant, producers were just a call away. And she was hardly disappointed as she is currently the toast of the season with four big projects in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. “I’m eagerly awaiting the release of ‘Rough’, ‘Ala Modalaindi’ Tamil remake and ‘Yaariyan’. They are expected to hit the screens in January. I have butterflies in my stomach,” she says, ahead of her latest release ‘Venkatadri Express’ on Friday.

However, the Punjabi-born insists that films were never on her agenda. “My dad is into Army and my mom was keen on me becoming a model and subsequently Miss India. As a kid, I wanted to be like Aishwarya Rai, but was clueless on how to go about it. I was national level golf player, but left it mid-way as I was getting tanned,” she laughs and adds, “After schooling I was offered ‘Ghilli’, Kannada remake of ‘7/G Brindavan Colony’. I accepted to be a part of the film because I was paid more than my pocket money, which was Rs 3,000.”

‘Ghilli’ was followed by Telugu flick ‘Keratam’ where she played a special role. “I did it because they required me to shoot for just 10 days,” she says. “It was only after the Miss India pageant that I’ve decided to give acting a serious try. A month-long training at Anupam Kher’s acting institute and a brief stint of theatre helped me to hone my skills.”

Talking about ‘Venkatadri Express’, she says she plays Prardhana. “There’s a tagline in the film- ‘Prardhana - Prathi rupai count ikkada (Every penny counts for Prardhana). She is such a miser that she counts every rupee only to realise that she lost Rs 1,000 in the bargain. She is on her way to Tirupati to thank Lord Balaji after getting a job.”

The experience for shooting for the film was memorable, she recalls. “We’ve shot in a real train for around 11 days. We even had to shoot in the night, running around the train. I was happy that I managed to do some form of workout in the night.”

For a girl who is doing her first full-fledged Telugu film, she is very good with her Telugu. “Since I was new to the language, Sundeep played pranks on me. However, as the shoot progressed I learned Telugu and ganged up with cinematographer Chota K Naidu to pull Sundeep’s legs. I hardly took any prompts. Mottham ardham avuthundhi naaku (I understand the language thoroughly),” she smiles.

A big fan of actresses Deepika Padukone and Nithya Menen, she is a regular to the cinema halls. “I’ve watched ‘Ala Modalaindi’, ‘Ishq’, ‘Gundejaari Gallanthayyinde’, ‘Anthakumundu Aa Taruvatha’, ‘Attarintiki Daaredhi’ and ‘Ram-Leela’. In fact, when I was offered Tamil remake of ‘Ala Modalaindi’, I jumped at it.”

Any Tollywood star on her wish list? “Pawan Kalyan,” she replies. “He enjoys a demi-God status and commands a following that is second to none. I would like to meet him once and if I get an opportunity to work with him, why not? I would also want to work with Allu Arjun,” signs of the leggy lass on a concluding note.