Who is Rana Daggubati?

He might be new to Bollywood, but just a month after his debut Telugu film released, Rana is hot property. Why should you care? Because he's just bagged Rohan Sippy's next film

A deep husky voice greets us on the other side of the line and announces, "Hi. This is Rana." We try hard not to melt into a puddle of gooey giggles. Rana may be a stranger to Bollywood fans, but he's quite a catch in Telugu cinema. The 26 year-old who made his debut last month in the Telugu smash hit Leader, makes a giant leap into Bollywood as the second lead in Rohan Sippy's film about drug trafficking in Goa.

"I was in the middle of shootingu00a0 Leader. A few promos were out when Rohan Saw them and called me. I was away from the Mumbai scene. After Telugu cinema, actors look towards Tamil films. But I got a call from Bollywood; that's a giant leap," he admits.



Rana comes from a family with has strong links with cinema. He's producer D Ramanaidu's grandson, and producer D Suresh Babu's son. He has super stars Nagarjuna and Venkatesh for uncles. Having been born into celluloid royalty, Rana was a natural when it came to adapting to various aspects of cinema. He has been involved with filmmaking for the last seven years, producing films and acting as a cinematographer on ad films.
u00a0
"When I started out, I was left to find my own path. My family watched from the sidelines, offering advice when required."

Getting into Bollywood must have been as easy as a phone call, but sustaining yourself in an overcrowded industry that's already packed with heroes from south India, may not be a cakewalk. Rana surprises us with "there is no competition. No two people are the same or look alike."

Since Rana comes from a multi-cultural city like Hyderabad, Hindi isn't a problem for him, unlike with several south Indian stars. He also harbours few apprehensions about breaking into Bollywood and sharing screen space with the stars. "I've met Abhishek Bachchan before, but not on set.

I've met Prateik (Babbar, his other co-star) and am very fond of him." Losing out on the southern superstar status isn't a worry either. His only concern right now is which path to take so as to achieve superstardom faster, he adds cheekily.

On Telangana

"Whatever the place is united or separated we need development first. India is a democratic country and we all have the right of movement. Let's not cage ourselves in one place."

On love

In a recent interview, he claimed to have not found his ladylove in Hyderabad and was hoping Mumbai would throw up interesting women.

That got him in trouble with a certain lady in his life. "My mother read the article and asked me if I was going to Mumbai to act or find someone. I've still to find 'the one'. You never know, she could be right next door in Hyderabad, Mumbai or even in America."