‘Period films are heroic’

Actor Rana Daggubati says he didn’t mind working in two back-to-back Telugu period films ‘Baahubali’ and ‘Rudhramadevi” because he finds them “heroic” and “powerful”.

“I didn’t mind doing two back-to-back period films because they may be offbeat, yet it’s so heroic and powerful,” Rana said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m approached for more period films in the future,” he said.In SS Rajamouli-directed ‘Baahubali’, which will also release in Tamil, Rana plays an antagonist.

While he has been a fan of Rajamouli’s films and has always dreamt of working with the auteur, he also agreed to work in ‘Baahubali’ because he likes the genre.

“I’m a big fan of folklore and history. The film’s story is fictional, but the way it has been recreated proves that it’s Rajamouli’s biggest project and I couldn’t miss a chance to be part of it,” he said.

When asked about the experience of working with the visionary filmmaker, Rana said, “He’s an easy and simple director to work with. He’s very clear what his actors are supposed to deliver.”

‘Baahubali’ is about a war between two brothers – Baahubali (played by Prabhas) and Bhallala Deva (Rana) – for a kingdom. It also features Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia in important roles.

Talking about how they recreated an era that’s almost 1,000 years old, Rana said, “Since it’s a fictional tale, we created a bible with all the information about the time zone in which the film is set because we don’t have any reference. Everything had to be created from scratch.”

One of the challenges for Rana was to master the language of the period.“We shot the film in two languages. While delivering the Telugu lines with a periodic touch wasn’t a challenge, the ancient Tamil lines certainly were as I’m not quite well versed with the language,” he added.

In Bollywood, Rana has recently completed shooting for Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Baby’, and has signed another film ‘Nia’.