Rakul Preet Singh: Biography, Films and Ramayana

An Army family in Delhi

Rakul Preet Singh was born on 10 Oct 1990 in New Delhi into a Punjabi Sikh family. Her father, Kulwinder Singh, was an officer in the Indian Army, and her mother is Rajender Kaur. Her younger brother, Aman Preet Singh, is also an actor. She went to Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, and took a mathematics degree at Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University.

She started modelling at 18, while still in college, and says she had always wanted to act.

A Kannada debut and Femina Miss India

Her first film was the Kannada romance Gilli (2009), a remake of the Tamil hit 7G Rainbow Colony. She has said she signed it to earn pocket money and had no idea how big South Indian cinema was. She then went back to finish her degree and competed in Femina Miss India 2011, where she won the People's Choice title and four sub-titles, including Miss Fresh Face and Miss Talented.

Telugu stardom

Her return to films was slow, with small parts in Telugu and Tamil. The turn came with the Telugu comedy Venkatadri Express (2013), a hit that earned her a first Filmfare Award South nomination for best actress. Between 2014 and 2017 she became one of the busiest leading women in Telugu cinema.

In 2016 she had three of the year's biggest Telugu releases: Nannaku Prematho with N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Sarrainodu with Allu Arjun and Dhruva with Ram Charan. Nannaku Prematho won her the SIIMA award for best actress in Telugu. In 2017 she starred in Rarandoi Veduka Chudham, Spyder with Mahesh Babu and the Tamil police thriller Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru with Karthi. In all she received four Filmfare South nominations for best actress in Telugu.

In 2019 she made a guest appearance as Sridevi in NTR: Kathanayakudu, the first part of the biopic of N. T. Rama Rao, and played the female lead opposite Nagarjuna in Manmadhudu 2, which he also produced.

Hindi films

She made her Hindi debut in the campus film Yaariyan (2014), but her Bollywood breakthrough was De De Pyaar De (2019), where she played Ayesha, a much younger woman who falls for Ajay Devgn's divorced character. The film was a hit, and it remains the role Hindi audiences most associate with her.

The years that followed were mixed. Marjaavaan (2019), Attack, Thank God and Runway 34 (all 2022) didn't work at the box office; in Runway 34, directed by Ajay Devgn, she played a co-pilot opposite Devgn, with Amitabh Bachchan as the investigator. Doctor G (2022), in which she played a senior resident in a gynaecology department opposite Ayushmann Khurrana's reluctant trainee, got good reviews, and the streaming film Chhatriwali (2023), in which she plays a chemistry tutor who takes a quality-control job at a condom factory, won her some of the best notices of her career.

In 2025 she played a physiotherapist in Mere Husband Ki Biwi with Arjun Kapoor and returned as Ayesha in De De Pyaar De 2. Scroll's Nandini Ramnath wrote that "the sequel belongs to Rakul, who is in sparkling form as the feisty, outspoken heroine", though the film underperformed. She began 2026 as a forest officer in Pati Patni Aur Woh Do, again with Ayushmann Khurrana.

Tamil films: Indian 2 and Ayalaan

In Tamil she worked with Karthi twice, in Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru and Dev (2019), and with Suriya in NGK (2019). In 2024 she had two big-budget releases: S. Shankar's Indian 2, opposite Siddharth, which flopped, and the science-fiction family film Ayalaan, with Sivakarthikeyan.

Shurpanakha in Ramayana

Her biggest film so far is Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana: Part 1, released on 5 Nov 2026, in which she plays Shurpanakha, Ravana's sister, whose humiliation by Lakshmana sets off the war between Rama and Ravana. Ranbir Kapoor plays Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita and Yash plays Ravana.

She told Cinema Express that she hesitated at first over a character usually seen as negative, but wanted to be part of what producer Namit Malhotra was building. "Surpanakha is a very important character in the Ramayana, as she changes the course of events," she said, adding that this version spends more time on "the Lanka side of the story". Working opposite Yash's Ravana was the highlight, she said: "I think Yash is beyond what you can comprehend; it is almost magical." She didn't share scenes with most of the large cast but met many of them at table reads during preparation, and she called getting the look right the hardest part of the role. That look took about four hours of make-up every day, she wrote on Instagram after the release, calling the film "a moment that makes me feel proud as an Indian".

Reviews singled her out. News18's critic called her "a pleasant addition" who "brings the required energy to the character", and Hindustan Times described her Shurpanakha as one of the film's highlights. The film passed ₹1,000 crore worldwide within eight days, according to Sacnilk figures reported by The Times of India. Part 2 is scheduled for 2028.

Back to Telugu?

Her last Telugu film was Konda Polam (2021), in which The Times of India called her "a ray of sunshine in an otherwise muted film". In November 2026 she told Cinema Express that the gap of almost five years wasn't planned. "I miss Telugu films, and I would absolutely love to work here again," she said, adding that she was in talks for a few projects but wasn't ready to announce anything.

Husband Jackky Bhagnani

Rakul went public with her relationship with the actor and producer Jackky Bhagnani in 2021. They married at ITC Grand South Goa on 21 Feb 2024, with a Sikh Anand Karaj ceremony in the afternoon and a Sindhi ceremony in the evening, India Today and Hindustan Times reported. Bhagnani is the son of producer Vashu Bhagnani of Pooja Entertainment. Rakul lived in Hyderabad for most of her Telugu career and moved to Mumbai after the wedding.

Fitness, business and causes

Fitness is a large part of her public image. She runs franchises of the F45 Training gym chain in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, co-founded the app Starring You with her brother in 2021 to help aspiring actors audition remotely, and in 2024 partnered with Curefoods on Arambam, a millet-based restaurant in Hyderabad. In 2017 the Telangana government made her the state's brand ambassador for Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao.

Net worth

There's no verified figure for Rakul Preet Singh's net worth. Her fees aren't published, and the totals quoted on celebrity-wealth websites aren't sourced, so we don't repeat them. Her income comes from films, brand endorsements and her fitness and food businesses.

Why she matters

Rakul is one of a small group of actors who've had real careers in both Telugu and Hindi cinema. After a run of Hindi films that didn't land, Shurpanakha in the biggest Indian release of 2026 has put her back at the centre of the conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Cinema Express: Rakul Preet Singh: I know a lot more about Surpanakha now, 4 Nov 2026
2. Hindustan Times: Rakul Preet Singh on four hours a day to become Surpanakha, 6 Nov 2026
3. News18: Rakul Preet Singh calls Surpanakha 'misunderstood'
4. The Hindu: Ramayana: Part 1 movie review
5. Scroll: Review: In De De Pyaar De 2, too much of a good thing
6. India Today: Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani are now married, 21 Feb 2024
7. Hindustan Times: Rakul and Jackky's Anand Karaj ceremony, 21 Feb 2024
8. Wikipedia: Rakul Preet Singh (cross-checked filmography, nominations and business ventures)

Facts checked against the sources above by Tulasiram Pemmadi on 14 Nov 2026 (IST). Where reliable sources disagree, the article says so. Spotted an error? See our corrections page or email contact@nextplayintel.com.

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