Rakul Preet Singh: I was told that my body was in panic mode

Rakul Preet Singh

Every actor will tell you that immersing themselves fully into a role is the only way to do justice to it. When I Love You came her way, Rakul Preet Singh knew that playing Satya, a headstrong woman with dark shades to her, won't be a cakewalk. But shooting for the romantic thriller - also starring Pavail Gulati and Akshay Oberoi - was tougher than she thought. To her, it's "the toughest film" of her career so far.

A still from the film

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Through the JioCinema offering, director Nikhil Mahajan explores how love, when veers into obsession, can wreak havoc in one's life. Singh says that Mahajan had charted out a straight 15-day schedule in December to shoot the emotionally complex scenes. Soon, the shoot started taking a toll on her. "Three days into the shoot, I couldn't sleep at night. I had 14-hour days where I had to sleep at 12 am and wake up at 5 am, but I couldn't sleep in those five hours. I took melatonin [supplements] to relax, but they didn't help. Then I started throwing up, and could eat only khichdi. After about 10 days of this ordeal, I spoke to my doctor and nutritionist. [The latter] told me that my body was in panic mode, and it was reacting to the emotions I felt as Satya."

After wrapping up the schedule, Singh took a break as per the nutritionist's recommendation. "She told me I needed to disconnect before it gave rise to graver health issues. I went to a resort for three days. I needed a change of environment, and my body needed to disconnect. After this episode, I became more conscious of [how roles can take a toll]. Thereon, I would actively switch on and off from my character."

Singh admits the character is a departure from the girl-next-door roles that she has done. She says it's a conscious decision to add complex parts to her résumé. "When I started out with Yaariyan [2014], I was a kid who didn't know the process of filmmaking. As you evolve, you get a better understanding of what you'd like to do. I want to be a better version of myself with every film."