Rana Daggubati: You don't care where the filmmaker is from

Although primarily focussed on Telugu films so far, Rana has also made significant impact in Hindi and Tamil film industries from early on in his career. Grandson of Dadasaheb Phalke Award-recipient late producer D. Ramanaidu, he firmly believes the art of cinema ultimately unites across languages. 

"It is always the audience. They always want new stuff. When you buy a ticket and get into the theatre, you don't really care where the filmmaker is coming from. You just care about the film. I think the internet and the press has also broken language barriers in a big way. The audience won't care whether "Avengers" is in Hindi, in Telugu films or in any other language," he tells IANS. 

The actor adds: "I know a little bit for history because of my grandfather. There was a time when all films, be it Hindi, Telugu or Tamil, were shot out of Chennai. The industries there never had a difference except for talent changing. There was not much difference. Art really unites. Whether you are a director or an actor, you don't really have a language for this craft. It's ultimately the art of filmmaking." 

Rana's role as the antagonist Bhallal Dev in the "Baahubali" franchise was lauded all over. While many remember him as the beefed-up ruthless king from the "Baahubali" films, Rana will soon be seen playing Bandev in "Haathi Mere Saathi". Bandev is a man who lives in the jungle and has dedicated his life to protecting the eco-system. 

"Haathi Mere Saathi" releases as "Kaadan" in Tamil and "Aranya" in Telugu. Talking about the Prabu Solomon directorial, the actor says he underwent drastic transformation physically and psychologically to play the character, who is cut off from regular human interaction. 

"When this film was offered to me, I had just done 'Baahubali'. Prabu was very clear that is not how a jungle man looks (refers to his Bhallal Dev physique). From shedding weight to growing beard, I kept doing that for three to four months. Then for the next 10 to 15 days we spend time on sets, defining how Bandev was and how he behaved," says Rana. 

"We started creating grammar for him, which was very different from what society would have. He didn't speak to people for a long time. He is a very knowledgeable man but when you have disconnect with people you behave differently. Prabu detailed that out for me. The first schedule I shot was only with the animals in the wild. So, it took me almost 20 to 25 days to get into the mode. So, that really defined and designed who I was and how I looked in the film," he sums up.