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Winning a pageant opened doors, but it didn’t guarantee work: Ruhi Singh
Mastiii 4 actor Ruhi Singh reflects on the misconceptions surrounding pageant winners, asserting that visibility does not equate to guaranteed work
“People think winning a pageant opens every door, but that’s not entirely true,” says Ruhi Singh, who has held a pageant title herself. “While it does open doors in the form of options, it doesn’t guarantee work, not even close. All it guarantees is a moment of visibility. After that, you start from zero again,” she adds.
The actor, describes pageants as “only a structured route to achieve my dream of becoming an actor”. Representing India internationally gave her confidence, but it also brought a label she had to fight against. “There’s always been a stereotype that if you come from a pageant, you’re ‘model material’, not acting material,” she explains. “People like to put you in a box based on how you speak, how you look, how you present yourself. But that box had nothing to do with the kind of actor I wanted to be, or the kind of actor I am.”
The 30-year-old adds that there isn’t an acting teacher in Mumbai she hasn’t visited to polish the craft. “Atul Mongia, Neeraj Kabi, Abha Joshi sir from NSD; I’ve done theatre, character workshops, everything. I just wanted to learn the craft honestly. It might look easy from the outside, but for someone trying to break the bubble and make a place for herself, my journey has not been a walk in the park,” she says.
Years of work on OTT platforms, including Runaway Lugai, which earned her an OTT nomination, Ruhi pinpoints has reshaped how filmmakers see her today. “OTT changed the game for me. It let me explore different genres: action, drama, rural characters. It showed makers that I can do more than what my image suggests,” she says, adding: “The industry has been more willing to experiment now; the makers of today are more open. Earlier, I don’t know if people could look past the pageant tag. But now, because of the variety OTT allows actors to show, directors and producers have started seeing performers, not labels. I really hope that continues, because I know I have so much more to offer.”
One example she cites is Masti 4, for which she didn’t audition but landed the role because the makers didn’t bracket her as “just a pageant girl.”. “Comedy is the toughest genre. Even if you’re naturally witty, having good comic timing on screen is a different skill. So I studied actors like Juhi Chawla, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever and Sridevi, and tried to bring something fresh,” she shares. “I’ve done so much work that never reached enough people. For an actor, cracking a role and seeing it finally release are completely different. Then the feedback, positive or negative; creates a whole new ball game,” she ends.
