Mumbai: Winning a pageant may open doors, but it doesn’t guarantee work, says Ruhi Singh, the actress and pageant titleholder who has steadily carved her niche in the entertainment industry.
“People think winning a pageant opens every door, but that’s not entirely true. All it guarantees is a moment of visibility. After that, you start from zero again,” Singh explains. She describes pageants as “only a structured route to achieve my dream of becoming an actor.”
Representing India internationally gave Ruhi confidence but also brought labels she had to overcome. “There’s always been a stereotype that if you come from a pageant, you’re ‘model material’, not acting material. 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,” she adds.
The 30-year-old actor has invested in her craft, taking guidance from stalwarts like Atul Mongia, Neeraj Kabi, and Abha Joshi from NSD, and participating in theatre and character workshops. “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.
Singh credits OTT platforms for reshaping how filmmakers perceive her. Projects like Runaway Lugai, which earned her an OTT nomination, allowed her to experiment with genres ranging from action to rural drama.
“OTT changed the game for me. It let me explore different genres and showed makers that I can do more than what my image suggests. The industry is more willing to experiment now; directors and producers are seeing performers, not labels,” she notes.
Her work in Masti 4 is a case in point. She didn’t even audition for the role, but the makers didn’t pigeonhole 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. I studied actors like Juhi Chawla, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, and Sridevi, and tried to bring something fresh,” she shares.
Ruhi emphasizes that for an actor, the journey doesn’t end with landing a role. “I’ve done so much work that never reached enough people. Cracking a role and seeing it finally release, then receiving feedback, positive or negative, creates a whole new ball game,” she concludes.
With her dedication, versatility, and evolving presence on OTT platforms, Ruhi Singh continues to defy stereotypes and establish herself as a serious actor beyond the pageant world.
