Patralekhaa is making headlines for her powerful portrayal of Savitribai Phule in Phule. The Anant Mahadevan directorial, currently running in cinemas, features Pratik Gandhi as the male lead.
Patralekhaa, who has impressed audiences with her performances in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, Wild Wild Punjab and CityLights, recently opened up about something that bothers her — being known only as Rajkummar Rao's wife.
In a chat with Galatta India, she said, “I really hate it, just to be called Rajkummar Rao's wife. I detest it, and I feel very small.” The actress added, “Kyunki mera ek naam hai… mera ek astitva hai. (Because I have a name… I have an identity.)”
Patralekhaa addressed the common assumption that her journey in the industry must have been easier due to her association with Rajkummar Rao.
The actress said, “Kyunki aapko lagta hai meri zindagi aasaan ho sakti hai ki mere husband… ya mere tab ke boyfriend… itne famous thay. But it's never easy if you are trying to establish yourself as an individual, to have your own career graph… it's very difficult. (People assume my life must've been easy because my husband, or then boyfriend, was so famous. But it's never easy when you're trying to build your own path and career graph. It's very difficult.)”
Patralekhaa also requested the media to stop reducing her to just a tag. “I'll never be comfortable with it… I'll fight it till the very end,” she said.
The actress shared how filmmakers often approach her for movies and promise her a role, but only if she can convince Rajkummar Rao to be a part of the project.
She said, “Kabhi bhi log mere paas aate hai Raj tak pahuchne ke liye. Mere paas script lekar aate hai… not because they want me… but they want to cast him. Toh aapko samajh aata hai what's the bait… ki aap Raj ke paas lekar jao… ye film aapki. (People often approach me only to reach Raj. They bring me scripts not because they want me, but because they want to cast him. And then it becomes clear what the bait is they want me to take it to Raj, and the film is mine.)”
Patralekhaa mentioned that she has always refused to involve Rajkummar Rao for any projects that approached her with ulterior motives. She stated firmly, “It's below my dignity.”
Patralekhaa and Rajkummar Rao got married in November 2021.