Rana Daggubati is always busy with multiple projects and is currently the only Telugu actor to work across all the film industries. Right now, he is excited about his upcoming film Ghazi, which has submarine war as its subject, a first of its kind in Indian cinema. “I am always trying to do something new. This film is based on the Submarine PNS Ghazi attack which happened in 1971 at Visakhapatnam,” reveals Rana.
Multi-lingual works
Once the script was completed, Rana realised that it was a big budget film and would work only when made into multiple languages. “The story happened in Visakhapatnam but the war is between Pakistan and India, so it works for Hindi audiences too,” he says.
Hydraulic set
The film needed a submarine set, which was built near Tank Bund in Hyderabad. “To create the submarine set, it took about four to five months. The warship was a 1971 model and we had to do a lot of research for it. We specially designed the hydraulic set to give the feel of a submarine,” says Rana. He adds that they first made a set in a swimming pool. “We took an Olympic size swimming pool on lease for three months,” he shares.
No daylight for months
The submarine set had six compartments, with sections like war room, meeting and dining room. “We would go to the sets in the morning and shoot till late evening. We spent a lot of time inside and there was no natural light. For months, we didn’t see daylight and everyone started feeling disconnected. So, immediately we stopped shooting there and started the outdoor scenes,” says Rana.
Fictional story
The story of the film is completely fictional with a few references of that time. “No one knows what exactly happened inside the submarine. It is a classified file, so we created this story from public information. It is told from the Indian point of view,” says Rana. He reveals that they shot separately for the Telugu and Hindi versions.
Marriage and rumours
“I am not in a hurry to marry. My parents are not forcing me to do anything as they always respect my decisions. So, it will happen when it has to,” says Rana. In the last one year, the actor has not been in any controversy or rumours like in the initial days of his career. “I get irritated when these rumours involve others. You write anything about me, I am happy,” he adds.
Family time
So, how does his family react to rumours? “They are not bothered as we have been in the industry for the last 56 years. We are all very open with each other. They know what I am doing. We meet at our place — my family and Chinnanna’s family (Venkatesh) and discuss a lot of things. We watch movies together and also discuss our projects,” says Rana.
I am an outgoing person
“Do you see any other actor go to a restaurant to eat on his own? I do that. If I am hungry, I take my car and go. I am an outgoing person and go out with my friends. I still go to the Old City during Ramzan time to eat Haleem,” he says.
Excited to work with Venkatesh
Are there any multi-starrers featuring him, Venkatesh and Chaitanya? “We have read 27 scripts for a multi-starrer, but none are exciting. The most exciting person to work with is Chinnanna because he is a superstar and if I join hands with him, the film will be huge! If a really good script comes along, we will definitely do it,” he reveals.
