Rana Daggubati's next big step - TeluguPeople.com News

Chennai: His excitement is infectious. After having made his debut with the much-acclaimed Telugu film, 'Leader', the tall and handsome actor, Rana Daggubati, is only looking forward to more action this month. April will see the release of two of his films and the expectations are high.

'I'm awaiting two big Fridays this month. My debut in Hindi, 'Dum Maaro Dum' (DMD), is releasing on April 22 and the following week, my second film in Telugu, 'Nenu Naa Rakshasi' (NNR) will hit the screens. I'm double excited,' says Rana, who was in Chennai yesterday, to receive the Debut Actor Award for 'Leader'. The award ceremony was organised by Sri Kala Sudha Telugu Association.

Even before the release of 'Leader', director Rohan Sippy called Rana to narrate the script of DMD. 'He saw the teaser of 'Leader' and called me. I thought I was making a guest appearance, but when he told me that I was to play one of the three protagonists, I was pleasantly surprised,' says Rana. 'We met in Mumbai the very same day and discussed my looks in the film. I play a Goan musician.'

While 'Leader' was a political film, DMD turned out to be an entirely different experience for Rana. 'I play DJ Joki in 'Dum Maaro Dum'. I've never played any instrument before, but you'll see me playing a guitar in this film. I got the guitar from music director Pritam and learned how to play it. I even rehearsed on the body language. My character is a laid-back one,' informs Rana. The film, a dramatic suspense thriller, is about the drug mafia in Goa and its impact on the lives of the protagonists.

Did the Hindi dialogues come easy?

'Hindi was not a problem, but I had to work on my diction. I had a Hyderabadi accent to it. The dialogues were given to me a month in advance and I managed to work on them. Also, Bipasha Basu, my co-star helped me out. She has a wonderful voice,' smiles Rana.

Talking about his other co-star, Abhishek Bachchan, Rana says, 'I had met him even before the shooting started. So I always had this comfort zone. Shooting in Goa was a fantastic experience. I would remember it for life,' says the actor.

While DMD is a suspense thriller, 'Nenu Naa Rakshasi' is a romantic thriller, a dark love story. 'The film is about the complex relationship between two people ' a professional killer, played by me, and his ladylove, played by Ileana. I always look for references before going for a shoot, but for NNR, I couldn't find any,' he says and adds, 'I'm very excited and am looking forward to its release. It has a wonderful screenplay by director Puri Jagannadh.'

Rana is not new to Chennai. A student of Chettinad Vidyashram, Rana says he has many fond memories of the city. 'I have a house in Chennai and love staying there. I thought my first film would be in Tamil, but then 'Leader' happened. And then I became busy with DMD. I would really like to do a Tamil film. Talks are on and I'm sure it will take shape soon,' says Rana, whose favourite actors are Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. 'I was damn kicked to know that one of Rajinikanth's movies (directed by KS Ravikumar) was named after me,' he gleams.

As the promotional activities of his films are on, Rana's next Telugu film, 'Naa Ishtam', a romantic comedy opposite Genelia, will go on floors shortly.