Rakul Preet Singh’s calendar is packed with back-to-back releases but did you know her journey into showbiz began with the Miss India pageant in 2011. Rakul did not win the competition but still found success at the movies, first in Telugu and Tamil industries and then in Hindi. (Also read: When Malaika Arora cleared Shekhar Suman’s doubts about models’ acting skills: ‘We are not dumb’)
Now, an old video from Miss India 2011 has resurfaced on subreddit Bolly Blinds and Gossip and it shows Rakul answering a rather ‘difficult’ question for the question-answer round. Judge Fardeen Khan asks her, “Take a deep breath, this is not the easiest question. If you found out your son is gay, what would be your reaction?”
Answering him, Rakul said, “Well, honestly, if I found out that my son was gay, I’d be shocked. I would probably slap him. But later, I think choosing your sexuality is one’s own decision and if he wants to go ahead with that, I have no problems. As for myself, I prefer to be straight.”
Her reply was not too easy to digest for many on Reddit. “Nothing shocking about this. The amount of homophobia and racism within these ‘popular’ girls even in regular lives is INSANE,” wrote one. “She is being ignorant. a) usko lagta hai being gay is a choice, b) thappad marne se ladka straight ho jayega kya (will slapping the son turn him straight),” asked another.
Another said, “So unaware. So uneducated. ‘I will slap him’. Yes, because you normalize violence. ‘I prefer to be straight’ Yes, because you are so brainwashed and close minded. And these people get platforms to voice their opinions. These homophobic comments are made so casually on public platforms. These are the very people who will do anything to be included while causing unsafe environment for people who identify with different identities.”
Others defended Rakul, saying that her response was understandable. “That’s a very reasonable response. You just can’t expect parents to normally come to terms with the fact that their son is gay, but ultimately they will accept that fact. I would say that this is a very realistic response.” read a comment. “That’s a pragmatic answer…Rakul said she will finally accept it,” wrote another.
Rakul did not win the pageant that year. Earlier, she had spoken about it and told Pinkvilla how it was always her mother who pushed her for it. “I kept telling her that you need to wear a bikini for Miss India. I said I’m not prepared for that. But she was confident. She said, ‘You’ll prepare for it, isme kya hai?’,” Rakul said. “You won’t believe but I must add this because so many kids don’t get their parents’ support. But my mom and my dad were more comfortable than I was with the idea of wearing a bikini. In fact, when we were going to shop for the bikinis, my dad kept telling us to buy vibrant coloured bikinis and not the dull ones,” she said.
Rakul will be seen next in Thank God with Sidharth Malhotra and Ajay Devgn.