Rana
Daggubati
is
a
household
name
across
the
country,
thanks
to
Baahubali's
humongous
success.
As
the
mighty
Bhallaladeva
and
the
clever
Arjun
Prasad,
Rana
has
done
diverse
roles
that
explored
his
prowess.
Before
becoming
an
actor,
he
was
a
visual
effects
producer
and
even
won
the
Nandi
Award
for
Best
Special
Effects
in
2006.
On
India
Today's
e-Mind
Rocks
2020,
Rana
Daggubati
spoke
about
his
wedding
with
Miheeka
Bajaj,
his
upcoming
animation
talk
show,
and
his
love
for
playing
negative
roles.
Excerpts
from
the
conversation:
Can
you
tell
us
about
your
fiancée
Miheeka
Bajaj
and
your
wedding?
I
think
I
am
growing
up
and
it's
time
to
get
married.
My
fiancée
Miheeka
lives
3
kms
away
from
my
house
and
we're
in
the
same
vicinity.
Sometimes,
you
know
when
things
are
going
smoothly.
And
I
don't
question
it
when
things
are
going
correctly.
She's
lovely
and
we
make
a
great
pair.
We
draw
positive
energy
from
one
another.
I
am
getting
married
on
August
8.
On
the
personal
front,
it's
been
the
best
time
of
my
life,
getting
married
to
Miheeka.
It's
been
pretty
awesome.
Have
you
been
working
on
an
animation
talk
show
during
the
lockdown?
Can
you
elaborate?
The
situation
is
quite
uncertain
and
it's
time
we
can
do
what
we
do
best.
We
can
develop
the
right
content
and
discover
new
formats
of
storytelling.
I
have
an
animation
talk
show
called
Why
are
you?
which
will
be
available
on
an
OTT
platform
soon.
For
the
next
year,
in
realistic
timelines,
we
cannot
start
or
complete
a
big
project
quickly.
So,
the
priority
has
shifted
to
what
we
can
do.
As
actors
and
producers,
there
are
different
ways
of
storytelling
and
we
can
explore
them.
Animation
is
something
I
am
fond
of
since
I
am
16
years
old
and
it's
my
first
job
before
I
became
an
actor.
Recently,
Krishna
and
his
Leela
released
and
did
extremely
well
on
the
OTT.
For
a
film
of
that
nature
with
a
relatively
new
cast,
it
received
national
recognition.
Coming
to
the
controversy
surrounding
the
film,
I
can
pick
10
other
Telugu
films
that
are
titled
Krishna.
The
reach
of
OTT
is
much
bigger
and
that's
why
it
got
noticed.
If
you've
watched
the
film,
the
film
doesn't
offend
anyone.
I'm
probably
the
biggest
fan
of
mythology
and
historical
stories
and
I
do
far
more
films
in
the
space
than
any
other
actors.
So,
I'd
be
the
last
person
to
hurt
people's
sentiments
with
the
films
that
I
am
associated
with.
What
are
your
thoughts
on
the
OTT
vs
theatre
debate?
Every
time
a
new
platform
emerges,
it's
a
treasure
trove
of
talents.
OTT
is
a
democratic
space
for
an
artist
as
it
gives
you
the
freedom
to
tell
stories
that
you
like.
It
gives
flexibility
to
talents
and
filmmakers.
It's
here
to
stay
and
we
will
get
to
see
some
interesting
content.
In
terms
of
big-budget
flicks,
theatres
will
be
their
exhibit
because
it
becomes
an
experience
on
the
whole.
So,
we
will
get
to
see
more
big
films
in
theatres
and
films
that
are
drama-driven.
Do
you
love
playing
negative
roles
in
films?
I
enjoy
playing
negative
roles.
Being
good
comes
with
restrictions
and
being
bad
gives
you
a
lot
of
freedom.
That's
the
part
of
playing
the
bad
guy.
I
can
do
things
that
I
won't
be
able
to
do
in
real
life.
It's
a
good
way
to
live
an
alter-ego.
It's
from
character
to
character
and
hard
to
pinpoint
what
I
like
and
not
like
in
them.
How
are
you
handling
your
family
production
house?
My
grandfather
and
father
are
producers
and
we
run
studios
in
Hyderabad.
We've
been
making
content
and
finding
talents
for
years
now.
At
that
point,
all
privileges
go
down
the
window.
Because
we
have
to
get
to
work.
The
talk
of
nepotism
doesn't
work
here
as
we
are
working
overtime
now.
When
you
have
a
responsibility
to
run
a
huge
organisation,
it
is
different.
The
large
part
of
the
revenue
comes
from
theatrical
business
and
now
that's
not
going
to
open
any
soon.
There's
a
world
out
there
and
we
have
to
make
sure
that
the
talent
we
have
is
delivering
stuff.
That's
our
job.
The
nepotism
debate
is
ongoing.
Can
you
tell
us
about
your
thoughts?
Without
the
skill,
you
cannot
last
in
any
industry.
Nepotism
comes
from
an
Indian
understanding
of
what
a
family
is.
If
you
have
a
father
who
has
worked
very
hard,
he
will
provide
it
to
his
family
in
the
means
they
understand,
which
is
through
capital
and
knowledge.
So,
we
will
be
part
of
the
privileged
people.
I
can't
take
that
away.
That
comes
with
greater
responsibility.
In
lockdown,
we
have
to
run
a
company
with
over
600
employees
and
pay
them
a
salary.
We
have
to
make
sure
that
the
organisation
is
back
to
its
feet
soon.
There's
always
a
responsibility
attached
to
it.
Also,
there's
no
option
of
giving
up
and
you've
got
to
keep
getting
better.
What
is
your
advice
for
aspiring
actors?
Be
observant
of
people.
It
comes
from
understanding
life
and
people.
Also,
you
have
to
figure
out
if
you
can
resonate
with
their
emotions.
The
more
you
do
that,
the
more
you
become
a
better
actor.
You
have
transcended
borders
and
stepped
into
Bollywood
successfully.
Is
there
a
tried
and
tested
formula
for
it?
First,
I
never
found
the
difference
in
watching
a
film,
be
it
Hindi,
Telugu
or
Tamil
films.
When
I
started
acting,
the
language
didn't
matter.
I
chose
the
content
that
I
connected
with.
My
first
Telugu
film
was
a
political
thriller
titled
Leader.
And
another
film
was
about
drug
peddling
in
Goa,
which
is
Dum
Maaro
Dum.
One,
I
could
tell
in
Telugu
and
the
other
in
Hindi.
It's
about
understanding
that
stories
can
travel
and
the
entire
world
can
watch
if
it's
right.
What
would
you
call
the
best
moment
in
life?
The
biggest
moment
in
life
would
be
Baahubali.
It's
been
about
six
years
and
we
were
able
to
understand
and
learn
so
much.
The
knowledge
we
gained,
the
popularity
it
has
given
us,
and
the
licence
it
has
given
us
to
make
our
own
decisions
are
outstanding.
We
understood
that
if
the
content
is
right
there
is
no
reason
that
there
won't
be
an
auditorium
for
it.
Can
you
tell
us
a
bit
about
your
family
and
your
fitness
plan
during
the
lockdown?
This
is
the
longest
I
have
been
home
and
it
is
fun.
It's
quite
special.
Coming
to
fitness,
it's
governed
by
a
character
I
play.
This
is
the
only
time
that
nothing
governs
me
and
it
has
been
basic.
I
would
say,
this
is
my
easier
time
where
there's
no
certain
way
I
have
to
look.
I
can
look
the
way
I
want
to.
What
do
you
think
about
social
media
hate?
It's
a
place
where
a
lot
of
people
make
comments
on
anything
and
everything.
The
fundamental
is
that
it
costs
nobody
anything
to
say
something
hurtful.
One
should
not
take
this
quite
seriously
and
there
should
be
a
certain
discipline.
The
lesser
we
focus
on
how
social
media
governs
your
life,
the
better
it
is
to
do
our
job
and
be
creatively
inclined.
That's
what
I
follow.