EXCLUSIVE | Rana Daggubati: 'First came to Mumbai as a kid when Mohra released, saw Suniel Shetty's body double'

Rana Daggubati and Surveen Chawla are gearing up for Rana Naidu, their show that streams on Netflix from March 10. It also stars the veteran star Venkatesh, Sushant Singh, and Abhishek Banerjee. And in an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Daggubati and Chawla speak about the show, the legendary actor mentioned above, and their first memories of Mumbai.

Surveen on what attracted her to the character she plays, someone who’s unaware of what her husband does

That would attract and draw anyone to the character (laughs out loud). But no honestly, this is a world Karan Anshuman has created and having seen the original show, we have completely changed the world, the colour, the texture, and making it very Indian. The conflicted relationships, the dysfunctionalities amongst the family members make it very intriguing for me as an actor to be a part of that world.

Rana Daggubati responds to his prep for a role that might be fictional but someone that occupies a world that’s real, with glimpses of Bollywood parties and corrupt people in the trailer

It’s a hyper real world, that’s not how real stuff happens, if it’s real it would be like a documentary. It’s pretty boring. I remember Karan telling me the story he heard from people on what they assume about the entertainment world what the political world looks like what the corrupt world looks like there is a certain heightenedness in all of this. And that’s it. I’m the guy that’s fixing their problems. It’s all done in a manner that is socially correct info that they call Rana.

On similarities between him and his uncle Venkatesh

No, I just figured out how much of his spitting image I am and how similar I look to him. No but I guess we both are very different, very different in the way we pick up things and approach what we do. But this is so out of our comfort zone. I have never played something like this and for him it’s toh a complete 180° It was a great way for both of us to bond and create a great energy.

Surveen on working with the legend

Oh, he was an inspiration on the sets. To share the screen with somebody as legendary as Venky sir was an absolute honour. You can keep looking at legends and keep observing them. So dedicatedly doing their jobs, something they have been doing for so many years; still like a child, waiting and wanting to try out new things.

Rana on OTT giving braver opportunities to actors and filmmakers compared to films

Even films are giving us such opportunities. It’s just that on OTT, you can explore many more mediums because films come with a set runtime of 2 1/2 to three hours. It takes some time for you to step out of your house, go to the theater and come back. But here, whether it’s the uniqueness of the plot or the uniqueness of the characters, the amount of time you can take with each of these people in emotionally changing with them, that’s what OTT has made possible.

A common question about their first memories of Mumbai

Rana: I came here for the first time as a kid for sure. There was a hotel in Juhu which is now shut, and I went to a restaurant right across that hotel. At that time, Mohra had released. I met Suniel Shetty’s body double who was working in that restaurant. That’s actually my first memory of Bombay (smiles). It’s pretty fascinating but that’s the first thing I remember.

Surveen: I came to Bombay for the first time in 1999. Not many people know this but I was a part of the Popstars tour done by Channel V. That’s how me, Ayushmann Khurrana, Neeti Mohan met. I remember we were staying at Hyatt near the airport. That’s when the largeness of a city, the Citylights, you know like calling. They call Bombay a b**ch for a reason.

Rana on what fascinates him about Bombay

For me it was different. I was from Hyderabad making Telugu films; the stories I couldn’t tell in Telugu I could tell in Hindi, so that was my outlet. I had something which was niche, which was new, something mainstream Telugu audience wouldn’t accept. That’s how Hindi came in.

Surveen on her character in the show; a show that looks very slick and stylish

No, he hasn’t asked me the same question (laughs). She’s pretty complex like every character is, they are fighting too many battles. And Naina also has too many battles in hand. To begin with, to deal with her relationship with Rana, not knowing what he really does, what he really fixes. But there is also a deep sense of commitment that she has towards her family. She could go till any mile to keep the family together. But at the same time she has a past, she regrets having made some decisions because of where she stands currently in her life, and hence, she has a quest to achieve happiness, autonomy, and power in any shape, manner, or form. Then there are conflicts happening within the family, and Naina has a very unique dynamic with Venky sir’s character, so it’s extremely layered.

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