Rakul, who made her Bollywood debut with "Yaariyan" and has starred in various southern films like "Venkatadri Express", "Loukyam" and "Current Theega", calls herself a "filmy kid".
"I was a filmy kid. I was two when I faced the camera for the first time. My parents realised it pretty early and I'm really thankful to them for their support and help. I did modelling for a year, but then I always wanted to be an actress," Rakul told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
A former Miss India contestant, Rakul started paving her way to films through the ramp.
Asked why she chose a modelling career if she had her eyes set on films, the Delhi-born beauty said: "Beauty pageants work as a platform from where you can reach out to many. Although they are two different fields, they come under the same group.
"For newcomers, modelling is like a stepping stone to acting. The exposure and experience in modelling helps...But for acting, we have to show a lot of hard work and dedication towards it."
On the film front, Rakul will next be seen in two southern movies -- "Pandaga Chesko" and "Kick 2".
Apart from that, in the Bollywood space she will play an "independent girl" in filmmaker Ramesh Sippy's light-hearted comedy "Shimla Mirchi", which stars veteran actress Hema Malini and actor Rajkummar Rao in lead roles. The film is likely to release in June this year.