Rana Daggubati REVEALS that being compared to SV Ranga Rao was the best compliment he got for Baahubali!

The hot hunk got chatty with us right from the sets of Baahubali 2

Ever since the release of Baahubali: The Beginning, people have been dying to know why Katappa killed Baahubali. Well, we recently caught up with actor Rana Daggubati on the sets of the film in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. Dressed in shorts and black sleeveless vest, the actor looked bloodied. It was the sight of the ripping muscles that made our jaws dropped. In a long interview, the actor spoke on Baahubali: The Conclusion and so on.

What shades of Bhalladeva will we see in Baahubali 2?
It just gets meaner and more deadlier (gives a stern look).

Bhalladeva has no romantic angle…
There are no romances. It is a war film.

When do we see the first teaser of Baahubali 2?
Probably, at the end of the year when the CG is in place. With a film like Baahubali, you can’t point out at the right date. We have to put so much together that in one day we manage only four to six shots. Prabhas and I have spent 420 days actually shooting for these films. We have 800 workers building the swords, chariots, weapons, etc…you can’t buy these things. Then, erecting and displacing the huge statue, we have industrial cranes on the sets. It does not look like any other film set. Plus, the rains are coming. We have an indoor set ready so there is still lot to do so far.

You did a number of small roles in Bollywood films. Post Baahubali, do we see you in bigger roles?
I feel each film is big and deserves respect for its own reasons. Nobody will make a Baahubali again. There will never be another Baahubali in the near future. I don’t think there is any film-maker in Mumbai or other part of India who will attempt anything like this. I saw an opportunity of a lifetime in Baahubali. My cameos in films like Baby made me a recognised face amongst Hindi audiences. With Baahubali, the face got bigger. The big bad Baahubali catapulted me higher. It was icing on the cake. I treat all my earlier films as stepping stones in this journey.

Is Baahubali 2 coming the same week as Robot?
I don’t think Robot will release in April. A lot of work is left in the film.

What is the best compliment you got for Baahubali?
Compliments have poured in for the film. There is this old writer who worked with my dad. He told me my work resembled that of late SV Ranga Rao. It was the finest comment.

Has the change of Baahubali made producers more confident…
See, Baahubali was a Telugu film. It was made in Telugu in Hyderabad with mainstream Telugu actors. However, our intention was to make a national film, which would appeal across the floor. I think our success gives confidence to any maker working on a great film that the whole country looks forward to something like this. Tomorrow if someone made a great superhero film, we are sure all of us would love to watch it.

Do we see you venturing into TV?
I am looking at TV very seriously. It won’t be in Hindi because I am not very fluent in it. I feel it’s a huge world out there with online growing. I like TV as a medium and am seriously looking onto it.

No one has matched Rajnikanth in star power in India. What is your take on that superstardom of Southern stars?
I feel no one walks into a room with the kind of aura that Big B has at his age. How many stars possess that quality? Likewise, stars like Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir have held onto their star quality for 25 years. You never them as superstars in your childhood and they’re the same now. Rajnikant has his own formula of stardom. Salman’s quality as star is unique and distinct and this is true for every Bollywood or Indian superstar. In South, the industry is more hero drive. In Bollywood, you have more genres to play with. I loved Dil Dhadakne Do and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara but I can’t city of making them in Telugu as they have an urban flavour. In Telegana, we have only two to three cities.

 Have you seen Akshay Kumar in Robot?
Yes, I think he is outstanding. The film is looking superb like the old Batman and Hollywood classics.

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Rana Daggubati REVEALS that being compared to SV Ranga Rao was the best compliment he got for Baahubali!