Rakul Preet Singh, who began her career working in Kannada and Telugu films, recently opened up about her early struggles in Mumbai and how living away from the crowd of actors and models  helped her maintain a positive mindset. She also recalled being replaced in a Prabhas’ film in 2011 after shooting for it for four days.

Recalling her initial days, Rakul told Filmfare, “I was in paradise. I would think it’s okay if I didn’t get a role, something else is there for me. I was not corrupted and it helped that I wasn’t living in the whole actor/model area in Mumbai. I was living in Kandivali. I was detached from the actor/model circuit. I would diligently go, do my work and there were a lot of rejections. There was a film in Telugu that I shot for four days and I was replaced. It was with Prabhas.”

She added, “It was for the best. Everybody had the best intention. I was new and in second year in college. I was studying on the set for my exams. The film was Mr Perfect. So after we finished the first schedule, I went to Delhi and there I got to know that I have been replaced by Kajal Aggarwal. So, Kajal and Prabhas’ another film had released that week while we were shooting and it had become a blockbuster. So, the producers thought to repeat the same cast and it was a business call. That happens many times when a new girl get replaced.”

When asked if she was heartbroken with the news, Rakul said, “No, I didn’t know that aspect. I went back to Delhi and they told me that they will let me know about the second schedule. I got to know that I have been replaced when I went back to Delhi. I said, ‘Okay. There is something better for me.'”

Rakul Preet Singh made her acting debut with the Kannada film Gilli in 2009. She made her Bollywood debut with Yaariyan in 2014. Most recently, she appeared in Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2 and will reprise her role in its sequel, Indian 3. She also has the Hindi film De De Pyaar De 2 in the pipeline.