The year 2017 is a packed one for Rana. There’s a steady line up of films and he’s been busy not just acting and promoting his projects, but forging collaborations that could take his films to a wider audience. We catch up with Rana soon after his return from Jaipur Literature Festival, where the cover of The Rise of Sivagami, the first book of Baahubali trilogy by Anand Neelakantan, was unveiled amid a packed audience. “I didn’t expect the huge turnout. This was my first visit to JLF and I was amazed,” he says. Baahubali - The Conclusion is expected this summer. Before that is The Ghazi Attack , inspired by true events in 1971 in which an operation by the Indian navy led to the sinking of Pakistan’s submarine P.N.S. Ghazi, off Visakhapatnam coast.
Excerpts from the interview:
Is The Ghazi Attack a dramatised account of events from 1971? To what extent is it based on Sankalp’s book Blue Fish: The War Beneath ?
Ghazi is inspired by true events but is a fictionalised version. A few documents pertaining to the sinking of P.N.S. Ghazi are classified and hence out of our domain. The film is a combination of facts, stories shared by retired naval officers in Visakhapatnam and Sankalp’s book. The names of officers and characterisation are fictional.
How did this film come up? Was the story pitched to you by Sankalp Reddy?
We found Sankalp (laughs). Once, I was driving from Hyderabad airport with a producer friend and we spotted a submarine set being constructed on a building. My friend learnt that Sankalp, who had returned from Australia, was planning to make a one-hour film to be showcased on YouTube with a limited budget. The story was interesting and we thought it would make for a feature film.
Was it a risky proposition initially?
A year ago when I told a few friends that I’m working on a submarine film, in Telugu, I was met with questions like ‘are you serious?’ Today, the trailer is getting a lot of attention. Cinematographer Madhi, editor Sreekar Prasad and the production team have ensured a quality product. With Karan Johar and distributor Anil Thadani stepping in, the project got a big push. It will release in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi.
Of late, you haven’t been limiting yourself to acting. You’re instrumental in making collaborations possible. Did it begin with Baahubali ?
Before I became an actor, I was a producer and a visual effects supervisor. Our industry wasn’t making the kind of films I was interested in. When I decided to act, I chose something unconventional (Sekhar Kammula’s Leader) .
Then, I tried a mix of offbeat films and regular films, some of which failed. I was lucky to get Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum and Baahubali followed. Rajamouli is a huge inspiration for me. On the sets of Baahubali , we realised it wasn’t just another film. We stepped out of our comfort zone to project the film at a pan-Indian level.
Luckily, I’m in a comfortable position. I don’t have to make ends meet. So I can go further. Like my dad (producer Suresh Babu) says, ‘fortune favours the brave’. I try and do what I can. We screened Ghazi for Karan Johar, Anil Thadani and the Dharma Productions team. They were impressed and chalked out a marketing plan. When Amitabh Bachchan agreed to give the voice-over, it helped the film further. If the content can appeal to a larger audience, why limit it to one language?
From Bhallaladeva of Baahubali to a navy officer in Ghazi , did your roles involve physical transformation?
Sankalp used to watch me on Baahubali sets. I could look into his eyes and sense that he shuddered if I’d come to the submarine looking like a hulk. I had seven to eight months before Baahubali war portions were to be shot. So I stopped lifting weights and changed my training to appear leaner. Ghazi has underwater stunts and was physically taxing. That added to my cardio routine.
Your film with Teja is a political drama. As an actor, what’s the difference you perceive from Leader to now?
I wish I could do Leader today; I’d do a better job. On Twitter, one of my followers sent me photographs comparing my walk as a politician then and now. I had an innocent look back then and now I look shrewd. I love the characters in Wolf of Wall Street and House of Cards . The characters in Teja’s film have many shades, including grey.
Tell us about your Tamil film Madai Thiranthu 1945 .
I play a soldier in this war film set in British India. I am becoming the ‘war lord’ actor, be it in Baahubali or Ghazi or Madai Thiranthu . I am proud to be a part of these films.
* The Ghazi Attack is among Om Puri’s last films. “We were looking for an actor who’d look like a war veteran. One of the producers suggested Om Puri. He has a brief role as a commander in Indian Navy. We were interacting with him. It’s shocking to think he’s no more. His end came all too sudden,” says Rana.
* Rana has a cameo in Gautham Menon’s Enai Noki Paayum Thota (Tamil) starring Dhanush.