Power couple Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha, are not just head over heels in love, but also appreciate each other’s identity and embrace their uniqueness. This week for our Celeb Talk segment, The Pioneer interacts with the couple as they discuss what makes them unique.
SHIKHA DUGGAL
Navigating the world of workplace identity can vastly improve your awareness of society’s roles and dynamics, and that is what Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha, a power couple, hope to do at a new summit.
P&G India ended its fifth annual #WeSeeEqual Equality and Inclusion Summit 2024. The event brought together notable advocates and personalities to inspire meaningful conversations about a variety of themes, including the shifting concept of family, mental health, true equality, and the intersectionality of many inclusion components. These discussions were intended to inspire and drive collective, meaningful action to spark good change.
In an exclusive chat with us, Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha attempted to anchor on the underpinning idea that people’s unique identities are formed by disparities in their lived experiences! When so many different voices come together, it leads to greater outcomes for everyone, according to actress Patralekha. When she told us about balancing keeping your separate identities while simultaneously acting as a unit, her response made us feel so good! “I know Rajkummar and my identity will never blend! Ask me why? No, there is no negative connotation; rather, we are two distinct personas. We are completely aware of each other’s roles in our separate lives. Fortunately, we have never had a conflict of identities. Let me explain this with an example: if we’re on a shoot, neither of us brings our emotional baggage to work, and vice versa. I leave my professional luggage in the vanity van. (She laughs.)”
Moving on to what Rajkummar Rao had to say, we were all ears when he said, “Whenever we are at home, neither of us creates a hard situation for the other. We don’t like questioning each other! That way, we are equals. While we have shot together several times, the crew is already aware that both of us are powerful people, so beware (he laughs). However, let me add that we are stronger as a team! So, nobody tries to challenge us.” He further had an incident to offer in which he stated, “A long time ago, one of the major magazines tweeted saying Rajkummar Rao and “his girlfriend,” and the message proceeded. Of course, it was sweet, but the way Patralekha was addressed didn’t sit well with me. I have openly rectified the publication! These kinds of clarifications are critical in order to expand on the idea of “unique and united.”
When uniqueness and diversity are fully valued in all of their manifestations and individuals work together to create an inclusive atmosphere, life is better positioned to generate creativity, collaboration, and excellence. The CityLights fame continues, “On our wedding day, Raj approaches me and says, ‘Why don’t you apply the ‘sindoor’ back to me?’ I was pleasantly delighted. He literally made me feel like we were “equally” involved. To tell the truth, Rajkummar’s mentality is quite matriarchal, which is what made me fall in love with him. The same thing happens in his work; just look at the graph of characters he chooses. He makes an effort to instill empathy in his characters, whether it is necessary or not.”
She does not forget to say, “We live together and observe each other. So we don’t have to explain things to each other because we both understand them. It is a given that you live in this house as much as I do, so you are equally liable. And because we spend most of our time travelling, we adore our home!”
Shedding light on specific practices they have adopted to promote equality within their household dynamics, our very own Stree fame shares, “For example, if there is a “pooja” at our home, we make it a point for whoever the priest is to involve both of us and not just give precedence to me! And I despise it when someone comes over for work and expects he or she simply needs to chat with me because I will make the decision, which I never do since I have a habit of incorporating Patralekha. And, much to my surprise, they are astonished as well. So these fundamentals are critical so that I can modify someone’s patriarchal perception or mindset. This is profoundly embedded in our DNA, hence the surprise on their faces! This is my way of promoting equality.”
Alternatively, Love Sex Aur Dhokha fame adds, “Because we know one another so well, we don’t mind what trolls write for us. We know the truth! We moved to Mumbai for work reasons, so as long as they talk about our work, we’re happy.” Patralekha pushes in and says, “It’s a terrible way of expressing it, but I’ll say it anyway: I don’t care. I’m not here to meet society’s expectations of us. We are quite confident in how we conduct our lives! If an issue arises, we address it amongst ourselves.”
The Shillong native continues to believe that one never knows what goes viral these days. Just like she shares, “Our “sindoor” moment went viral, which was obviously unplanned. Nobody could have predicted Raj’s actions! As I previously stated, we were so caught up in the moment that even I was startled. I continue to hope that I am pleasantly taken back in this manner. Raj is well-liked by the general public, particularly the younger generation. For them, he defied expectations!”
Meanwhile, Rajkummar Rao continues to advise, ‘Treat your spouse with great respect. Involve each other in even the tiniest household tasks. I am sure there will be stressful circumstances, but having communication with each other is far more vital than carrying the entire burden on your own shoulders. In reality, inside my own industry, these conventions are shifting. Let me inform you. In comparison to what I used to hear about my industry, things have improved significantly. Girls are now appointed in all departments! Gender equality exists on all of my film sets.”
Here’s to being an ideal representation of what it means to change the equality game!
