"I have to live upto my family's expectations"

Being the grandson of filmmaker Ramanaidu, son of producer Suresh Babu and nephew of actor Venkatesh is no easy task. And Daggubati Rana, who has created a huge buzz in Tollywood even before the release of his debut film Leader, is nervous about living up to the expectations.


“I can’t afford to fail as everyone’s watching me. I have to live up to the expectations of my family. I hope this film works as it is an honest movie and it is my first. I don’t have an image of my own and I want the audience to accept me with this film. Shekhar Kammula took about a year to pen this script after extensive research and we shot the movie for a whole year. It has been long since Tollywood has made a political drama. It is in the same league as the The Godfather,” says Rana, who is going all out to promote the film.



“Filmmaking as a process has evolved. The size of the market has increased. Movies today are offering audiences visual treats like never before. You need to offer quality cinema to the audience and promote it well,” he adds.This producer-turned-actor feels that the transition from “behind the scenes” to “onscreen” was not hard for him.

“I took a break for two years and underwent training in all aspects of acting before I faced the camera. I am born in a family of actors, and this step came naturally to me. It’s just another art form,” says Rana, who was into visual effects, cinematography and production earlier.
In fact, A Belly Full of Dreams, a film produced by him went on to win much critical acclaim.Even as he is set to make his debut, Rana is busy going through scripts for his next film.

“I would love to do different genres. I don’t want my next film to be similar to what I’ve done,” says the actor, who is learning the tricks of the trade from his uncle Venkatesh.“I grew up watching his films and when I told him that I want to be an actor, he showed me a methodical way of going about it. He guided me at every level. He saw the first rushes of my film and gave me his honest opinion. I have learnt discipline from him.”


And when he is not shooting, Rana is quite the party boy, who is seen hobnobbing with the current crop of actors at every do. “Though there is competition, we all are good friends. Whenever we meet up, we discuss our films, scripts and share tips and tricks. We have great fun together.”