Full Throttle

Rana Daggubati not only puts in some notable work within the entertainment industry, but he also commits to serious labour at the gym. He embraces fitness as a lifestyle to feel and look his best.

- CHITMAN KANWAR AHUJA

It isn’t easy to talk mid-workout, but Rana Daggubati manages to pull it off in this charming and motivational interview, where he takes us through his cinematic journey that started out from him being the guy behind the camera to the one in front of it. Standing an astounding six feet plus tall — currently, he has

been flaunting his lean physique, which is also a transformation for his upcoming project Haathi Mere Saathi. He had initially hit headlines for his brawny physique and fierce expressions as seen in Baahubali: The Beginning. Edited excerpts…

How did the switch from being an entrepreneur and visual effects coordinator to cinema come about?

The switch really happened in the year 2007-2008, when visual effects was not such a big thing in films. We were a smaller service house back then; after which I sold out the business, and went into gaming for a very brief time before I began acting in films. Now, there was a different kind of cinema and stories that I preferred over others, for which my first step was to take time off and learn acting. Thereafter, I enrolled myself in theatre classes. For me it was a transition from storytelling to acting. After a year, I received my first film - Leader (2010).

After making your Telugu debut in 2010, you made your 2011 Bollywood debut in Dum Maaro Dum which marked you as a promising newcomer. How do you look at your career graph from then to now?