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Rana Daggubati Says He Was Never Supposed To Do Rajamouli's Varanasi: 'I Wish I Was A Part Of It' | Exclusive
Rana Daggubati Says He Was Never Supposed To Do Rajamouli's Varanasi: 'I Wish I Was A Part Of It' | Exclusive
Rana Daggubati had first collaborated with SS Rajamouli on Baahubali: The Beginning, which proved to be a game-changer for Indian cinema. His character of Bhallaladeva, which saw a continuation in Baahubali: The Conclusion, remains one of his much-loved performances. And last year, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the magnum opus, its re-edited and remastered single version titled Baahubali: The Epic hit the theatres.
Before Rajamouli officially announced his next – previously titled SSMB29 and now Varanasi – starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran, fans began speculating the casting for the globe-trotting action adventure. Some even came up with theories surrounding how Rana could make for a strong antagonist in it after his cruel, power-hungry tyrant act in Baahubali.
But speaking exclusively to News18, he says that he was never supposed to be a part of Varanasi. “I’m not a part of the film. I do wish I was but I’m not (laughs)," he tells us. He had earlier expressed his admiration for Rajamouli’s vision and had discussed the immense anticipation surrounding this high-budget project, stating how proud he’s of the team for bringing a new kind of cinema in.
Recently, Rana also revealed that he returned film advances after his kidney transplant, admitting he no longer fit the ‘hot hero’ image producers had signed him for. So, too many acting projects may not be on his plate, but he’s presenting a Tamil film titled Neelira, which has released in cinemas today. Inspired by events from the Sri Lankan civil war, it isn’t headlined by a star.
Dismissing the perception that stars don’t like attaching themselves to non-commercial films, he states. “There are many stars who do independent stuff outside of their mainstream world. There are so many of them who’ve done indie films by taking pay cuts and backends. Having said that, doing indie films only interest some kind of stars and actors. Some may not be interested but to each their own."
However, with Karthik Subbaraj backing a film like Neelira, what made them decide against casting a known name to clock in the numbers? “Stars sell but some films don’t require a star. For instance, when you watch a film like Neelira, you don’t know who’s the protagonist and who’s the antagonist. If we would place a star or two in it, watching the film would become all about waiting for the star to appear onscreen," Rana points out.
“If we had cast a star in Neelira, the audience’s focus would only remain on him and not on the other characters or the story. There’s a reason why stars aren’t cast in some films. The biggest merit of Neelira is that when you watch the film, you’ll see that you haven’t seen anyone on that screen before but you’re with the characters right since the very beginning. You remain neutral till the time they react to a certain issue. And that’s an experience a star will never be able to give you," he adds.
Source: News18
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