I KNOW I CANNOT PLEASE EVERYONE
In Tollywood, every largerthan-life hero either has to pull off gravity-defying stunts or be the ‘chocolate boy’ who charms the pretty girls. Or better still — be the chocolate boy who can pull off all those stunts with ease. In such an industry, RaNa Daggubati is yet to fit into a ‘type.’ Two movies-old, with a new one on the way, the actor says he is still trying to “figure out” who he really is.
“No one will go to a theatre and say, ‘I want to watch a RaNa film.’ I don’t know if this works against me. I only pick the stories I want to tell. Moreover, why should I want to fit into a type when there are others already doing it? Some people approach me with scripts saying it’s the next “Bommarillu” or the next “Pokiri” and I say, why make them, if they are already done?” says RaNa. The actor in fact, doesn’t mind being beaten up by the baddies on screen, unlike the older Tollywood lot who had to be invincible in their films. “The days of hero worship are long gone. Movies are not the only form of entertainment now and it takes more than just the same ol’ formula, to keep the audiences hooked,” he adds.
And to keep them talking, his PR machinery surely seems to be working overtime, what with all his link-ups. But the actor is quick to label them “Mumbaimanufactured” rumours. “I’m a newcomer there, so, in all their curiosity, they’ve speculated a lot about my relationship status, taking the focus away from my films,” rues RaNa, who has brought back more than just rumours from BTown. “T-Town has so much to learn from B’wood in terms of movie promotions. Actors dedicate more than 20-odd days in BTown for promotional activity. Whereas, we use that time here to shoot two fight sequences and a song,” he quips.
Ask him if he has also learnt the art of openly flaunting relationships, Bollywood-style and he is quick to exclaim “When I honestly say I’m single, no one is willing to buy it! I’ve been shooting for 210 days last year, there is no time for love.”
The actor also has no time for detractors. Early criticism of RaNa’s Bollywood debut has left him unfazed. Or so he claims. “I can’t expect every single viewer to like the film. We didn’t make a “Dabangg.” People keep telling me, ‘you should or shouldn’t have done this,’ and all I wonder is, if only they told me these things earlier. Now, there’s nothing I can change. That’s why I pick my movies carefully,” says RaNa, who was just signed up by Ram Gopal Varma as a replacement for Abhishek Bachchan in “Department.” “Abhi has around three-four films in hand and had no time for this one. I liked the story and I said yes. Talks are on to sign up for a Tamil film too. But if you ask me, shuttling between industries is not an easy task. It requires a lot of energy, patience and is quite painful. So for now, Telugu films are my first priority,” clarifies RaNa, who will do a romcom soon.