New Delhi: Rana Daggubati writes about his journey in films so far.
As an actor, shifting between roles is an occupational hazard. I was shooting for Telugu film 'Na Ishtam' and RGV's 'Department' (in Hindi) the same time. While I play this young bloke with an east Godavari Telugu twang for 'Na Ishtam', in 'Department', I'm a Marathi cop. So I used to keep getting confused. But that's the fun part: as an actor, you get to be so many different people.
In my latest film, I'll be playing a role closest to my age for the first time. After growing a beard and a mop of hair for 'Dum Maro Dum', I was glad to chop it all off for 'Na Ishtam'. For 'Department' however, my hair is close-cropped and I grew a handlebar mustache. A mix of looks and character isn't the only thing that helps being an actor. Language has always been a great strength for me.
Having schooled in Chennai, I know Tamil; I've been brought up in Hyderabad, so I know Telangana Telugu and Hindi. So shifting between languages hasn't been a problem. Before I took up acting, I was an entrepreneur and was working with special effects and graphics. So in a way, I had a certain maturity, which Shekar Kammula later pointed out what he saw in me. This is something I gradually realised about myself. I guess that gives my personality a certain edge.
So far I'm five films old. I've managed to do a different story and character every time and also have a failed film in the kitty. That has given me a lot of perspective and experience as an actor.
In my upcoming film, 'Na Ishtam', with Genelia D'Souza, I've danced – something I've never done before. This will also be my first commercial film, going by the usual definition. If you ask me which movie I like the best, I can't really say. But I guess 'Nenu Na Rakshasi' was a good teacher. We were so lost with the film, I didn't understand it and couldn't figure out what to do with it. The movie became something it wasn't and circled back to the original concept in the end. For us, there was no reference point, something to look back at. Neither my father who's a producer nor my uncle Venky who's been an actor for 25 years could figure it out. Even when it came to marketing, we didn't know how to do it well, because we didn't understand what the movie had become.
That's a problem when you're experimenting with an experiment. The concept of movie can be great, but you need to be clear about what you're doing. The first half of the film was great, but it went nowhere after that. People were calling me from the theatre saying the film would be a hit. After interval, I didn't hear from anyone, and that said it all.
Ultimately, when you look at it, there is no formula that one can follow. You just find a hook that you think the audience is going to enjoy, and you make the best film you can with it.
(Rana Daggubati is a film actor and producer)
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