Cinesprint - June 2015

specialSTORY
BOLLYWOOD
From girls-next-door to sultry
sirens, he has been linked with
some of the most happening
heroines of our time.
But mind you, his claim to fame is not
that. From choosing his debut vehicle
`Leader’ under the aegis of Sekhar
Kammula, the master of offbeat
cinema, to bulking up 40 pounds for the magnum
opus `Baahubali’, Rana Daggubati has pushed
the envelope constantly. What’s more, he’s done
it all so effortlessly and convincingly. Not that
his detractors weren’t sniggering behind him
for his various link-ups or the roles he essayed
in Bollywood, they were! But then, a `Leader’
doesn’t give a damn. Regardless of what people
say, Rana knows just one thing. And that one thing
gob smacks them all – his overall impact on the
audiences.
“I GUESS I PICKED THE RIGHT JOB AT THE
RIGHT TIME”
It is one of those sweltering summer days in Chennai
when we catch up with Rana in the cool green environs
of Amethyst. The hunk is in Chennai to shoot the Tamil
remake of the Malayalam smash hit ‘Bangalore Days.’
Judging by the way women stop dead in their tracks
as he passes by in breezy linen, Lawrence and Mayo
sunglasses and his super cute EGOTIST cap, Rana has
earned every bit of the ‘Most Desirable’ tag.
Straight off, I ask him what makes him so desirable.
“Frankly, I have no idea what makes me so desirable as a
man! If you had asked me this question five years ago, I
wouldn’t even have known that things would turn out this
way. I am an actor. Being in the limelight, you need to look
right. And it’s a combination of being fit, being blessed
with good looks, being comfortable in the clothes you
wear and carrying yourself well. You also need to speak
right. So It’s a combination of everything. My makeup
artist, my stylist, my publicist and the people who put
my look together are the ones who need to be given the
credit for making me desirable,” he says, continuing, “You
probably noticed the lady who greeted me as we walked in
and enquired about what brought me here! She was
my colleague in a BPO. I started working straight out of
college. I was a visual effects coordinator. I guess I picked
the right job at the right time. And as to how I got here, the
credit for it goes to a combination of different things.”
26
” DOES HE
EMULATE
ANYBODY
ON SCREEN?
“LOOK AT
ME. I AM
NATURALLY
TALLER AND
BROADER
THAN MOST
OTHERS.
IF I TRIED
TO EMULATE
THEIR STYLE,
IT WOULDN’T
SUIT ME.”
and trends,” he says.
All through college, Rana
used to wear a lot of his uncle,
Venkatesh’s stuff. He chuckles,
Irrespective of whose clothes he
wears, it is a fact that wherever
he goes and whatever he does,
Rana makes news. Recently, his
switch-over to vegetarianism had
PETA sending him a gift hamper
with predominantly vegan
products. Rana comments, “When
I was preparing for ‘Rudramadevi’
and ‘Baahubali’, I had to eat a lot
of meat to bulk up for my look. The
film and the script demanded
it. Now I am working on the Tamil
remake of ‘Bangalore Days’,
where I am playing the role which
Fahadh Faasil had played in the
Malayalam version. I needed to
get lean. Despite my workout and
rigorous fitness regime, I realised
that the weight and muscles I had
put on for ‘Baahubali’ were hard
to shake off. I always work out five
days a week, no matter where I
“MY STYLE GOES HAND-IN-
HAND WITH MY ROLE IN A
FILM”
How does he balance this ‘Most
Desirable’ tag and his unique
sense of nonchalant style with
the different characters he plays
in his films? “My style goes handin-
hand with my role in a film.
In fact, my look, my physique
– everything depends on that.
‘Rudramadevi’ and ‘Baahubali’
– the two period, historical flicks
required me to sport different
looks. ‘Baahubali’ required me
to bulk up massively, grow long
hair, a beard, the works…I am
totally game for whatever the
character demands of me. We
can’t disagree with that one,
especially after we learnt that his
shoe size is 13! And while he may
not emulate anybody, he certainly
has his favourites as far as style is
concerned. “I think Hrithik Roshan is
very, very stylish among Indian
heroes. He is a style icon, a style guru
so to speak. I can’t even think of a
second name. Among women, Sonam
Kapoor, I think, is super chic and
makes news when it comes to fashion
“I didn’t even
go to college
properly. I would
dig into my
uncle’s wardrobe
for clothes
and shoes.
As an actor,
he used to have
a lot of stylish
stuff – clothes,
shoes and
accessories.”