Exclusive interview with Sify Movies
Rana Daggubati comes from a line of greats. His grandfather is production mogul of Andhra Pradesh, D Rama Naidu, and his father is producer Suresh Babu. He is also the nephew of actor Victory Venkatesh. Though he began his career as an animator and made a name for himself in the field of post-production, he’s now moved on to acting in a search for self. We caught up with Rana on the sidelines of the FICCI conclave in Chennai. Excerpts from an interview:
Did you always want to become an actor?
I thought of becoming an actor only two years ago – after I sold Sprit [his animation company] to Prime Focus. I began as an artist, an animator, and my dabbling became a big corporation. But that was not what I had envisioned.I got interested in acting because I wanted to do something that was all me, something where I had control over my Intellectual Property
Before you faced the camera, you were involved in post-production and visual effects. In fact, you’ve been credited with revolutionising post-production in southern cinema.
I don`t have formal training in animation. I was a cinematographer and I was very excited about digital cameras and digitally moving images. I went into things like Combustion, Shake and 3D, which came naturally to me.I am not a great animator, but I was good enough. I began with three or four animators, but it soon became a giant corporation and, by the end of it, we had about 190 artists doing visual effects, colour grading and post-production, etc. It was not creative for me anymore. It had become a corporate and my role was more of a managerial one – not something I was interested in.
Will you continue to dabble in that, even as you pursue acting?
Only at a consulting level. It is impossible to be an animator and an actor at the same time. If acting is a 12-hour job, animation is a 24-hour job. And right now, I want to focus on acting.
Did your grandfather influence you in any way?
He instilled the love of cinema in me. That is the biggest thing he has done. He moved from a village and ended up owning a large studio corporation. He is any day the biggest inspiration for me.
In an interview you said that your uncle, Victory Venkatesh, was your guru.Coming from a line of producers, directors and actors – like my grandfather, father and uncle – it was almost like I began studying acting from class one. Recently, when I turned actor, Venky talked to me about being an actor, a star – what I can do and what I can`t. So, he is the first one I looked up to.
Something about your debut film, Leader.
Leader is a political drama. It is Sekhar Kammula`s fourth film and it is very different from his previous films. This is a serious political drama and is relevant to what is happening in Andhra Pradesh today. The film and the character I play are like a politician’s wish list. ‘If there had been a leader like this’ is the crux of the film and my character.
Young actors like Nagarjuna’s son and Chiranjeevi’s son made their debuts with commercial films. Yet you decided to take up a political drama.
I think I have constantly challenged myself. My strength is being unique in whatever I do and being honest in whatever I do. Leader is a very honest story which falls into the mainstream form of storytelling, but yet takes an alternative path. That`s why I say I am in a fresh new basket – in a realistic political drama.
You said that you`ve been observing young leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia. What’s the learning you got from them?
One extremely important thing I learnt is that they speak the right things at the right time. They know what they are doing. Never will you see these young politicians saying anything senseless. They very clearly have vision and will provide a future to this country. This is commendable.
Hailing from an illustrious film family, expectations from you must be very high. How are you handling the pressure?
It`s because I hail from a family like my mine that I got such a great opportunity – getting a production company like AVM and a director like Sekhar Kammula. Pressure will come with it. I cannot afford to fail, since I belong to a line of actors, producers and directors. People feel we know a little more than others.
How are you professionally and personally?
I am very similar both professionally and personally. I think the film business as such is a very personalised business, so it is very difficult to differentiate between both.
Do you like blogging?
I would love to blog, but I am involved in so much right now that I am unable to do it. However, once I get time, maybe after I finish the film, I will definitely start blogging.
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