‘Baahubali' has given Indian filmmakers license to go big: Rana Daggubati
Chennai
Apr 24, 2017
Actor Rana Daggubati, who awaits the release of 'Baahubali
2: The Conclusion', believes the success of S.S. Rajamoulis 'Baahubali'
as a franchise has given Indian filmmakers the faith and confidence to go big.
'I think 'Baahubali' has proved it that when you're
making a film for the entire nation, it is bigger than any film made in one
language. You could be a filmmaker sitting in Madurai and if you have a great
superhero film to make, you have the faith and confidence to make your film
because there's a country of audience to watch it,' Rana told IANS.
Does he feel there is sudden urge to make bigger films, especially
after the announcement of Mohanlal-starrer multilingual film 'The Mahabharata',
to be made on a budget of Rs 1000 crore?
'I think it is amazing filmmakers have started to think
big. 'Baahubali' has given them the license to go big,' he said.
In 'Baahubali' franchise, Rana plays a fictional
character Bhallaladeva, who locks horns over an ancient kingdom with his brother
Amarendra Baahubali, played by Prabhas.
Asked if he finds surprising that a negative character vis-à-vis
all the positive ones he has played so far has won him nation-wide recognition,
he said: 'It's a Rs 450 crore war film and it will give you far greater
visibility.'
'It is the biggest film in the country and even if I played
any other character, it would have given me the same visibility. This is franchise
cinema which is far bigger than any film that I have been part of so far,'
he explained.
Rana, known for being part of films such as 'Leader',
'Dum Maaro Dum' and 'Department', says he has always been
on the lookout for projects that transcended regional boundaries.
''Baahubali' helped me explore new avenues across
borders. It has given us so much strength that even while sitting in Hyderabad,
we could think of making a huge franchise-based film that will be lapped up
by the entire nation. It has taught me to take content to wherever I want,'
he said, adding the experience of working on the country's biggest film helped
him to 'understand and portray a character better'.
'It is because of the experience of working with finer
actors and a highly talented director. Everything I have learnt from both the
parts of the film will reflect on whatever I choose to do next,' he said.
'Baahubali: The Beginning' had a phenomenal run at
the box office. It ended up as one of the biggest grossers of Indian cinema.
Is there a sense of nervousness ahead of the release of 'Baahubali
2', considering part one was a huge hit?
'It is the same story audiences are going to watch after
two years. It's the continuation of what happened at the end of first part.
When we were making part one, we didn't realise how big it will become and where
it will take us,' Rana said.
'The fact that it has become a brand and has been accepted
even internationally, gives you so much more strength to make a greater part
two. Ultimately, everything that we have made in this film is bigger than the
first part,' he added.
Talking about 'Baahubali 2', Rana said things got
easier while working on this project.
'When we were doing the first part, it was our first attempt
in the war genre and everything was new to us. None of us even knew how everything
that we are shooting will look in the end with visual effects. There were challenges
every single day and it was a struggle to address them,' Rana said.
'Though part two was a physically taxing film in every
which way, what we did here was we didn't make the same mistakes we made in
part one. We had bigger budget to shoot, thanks to the success of first part,'
he said.
'Baahubali 2...', which also stars Prabhas, Anushka
Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishnan, is slated for worldwide
release on Friday.
Chennai
Apr 24, 2017
Actor Rana Daggubati, who awaits the release of 'Baahubali
2: The Conclusion', believes the success of S.S. Rajamoulis 'Baahubali'
as a franchise has given Indian filmmakers the faith and confidence to go big.
'I think 'Baahubali' has proved it that when you're
making a film for the entire nation, it is bigger than any film made in one
language. You could be a filmmaker sitting in Madurai and if you have a great
superhero film to make, you have the faith and confidence to make your film
because there's a country of audience to watch it,' Rana told IANS.
Does he feel there is sudden urge to make bigger films, especially
after the announcement of Mohanlal-starrer multilingual film 'The Mahabharata',
to be made on a budget of Rs 1000 crore?
'I think it is amazing filmmakers have started to think
big. 'Baahubali' has given them the license to go big,' he said.
In 'Baahubali' franchise, Rana plays a fictional
character Bhallaladeva, who locks horns over an ancient kingdom with his brother
Amarendra Baahubali, played by Prabhas.
Asked if he finds surprising that a negative character vis-à-vis
all the positive ones he has played so far has won him nation-wide recognition,
he said: 'It's a Rs 450 crore war film and it will give you far greater
visibility.'
'It is the biggest film in the country and even if I played
any other character, it would have given me the same visibility. This is franchise
cinema which is far bigger than any film that I have been part of so far,'
he explained.
Rana, known for being part of films such as 'Leader',
'Dum Maaro Dum' and 'Department', says he has always been
on the lookout for projects that transcended regional boundaries.
''Baahubali' helped me explore new avenues across
borders. It has given us so much strength that even while sitting in Hyderabad,
we could think of making a huge franchise-based film that will be lapped up
by the entire nation. It has taught me to take content to wherever I want,'
he said, adding the experience of working on the country's biggest film helped
him to 'understand and portray a character better'.
'It is because of the experience of working with finer
actors and a highly talented director. Everything I have learnt from both the
parts of the film will reflect on whatever I choose to do next,' he said.
'Baahubali: The Beginning' had a phenomenal run at
the box office. It ended up as one of the biggest grossers of Indian cinema.
Is there a sense of nervousness ahead of the release of 'Baahubali
2', considering part one was a huge hit?
'It is the same story audiences are going to watch after
two years. It's the continuation of what happened at the end of first part.
When we were making part one, we didn't realise how big it will become and where
it will take us,' Rana said.
'The fact that it has become a brand and has been accepted
even internationally, gives you so much more strength to make a greater part
two. Ultimately, everything that we have made in this film is bigger than the
first part,' he added.
Talking about 'Baahubali 2', Rana said things got
easier while working on this project.
'When we were doing the first part, it was our first attempt
in the war genre and everything was new to us. None of us even knew how everything
that we are shooting will look in the end with visual effects. There were challenges
every single day and it was a struggle to address them,' Rana said.
'Though part two was a physically taxing film in every
which way, what we did here was we didn't make the same mistakes we made in
part one. We had bigger budget to shoot, thanks to the success of first part,'
he said.
'Baahubali 2...', which also stars Prabhas, Anushka
Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishnan, is slated for worldwide
release on Friday.
Tags: Rana DaggubatiS. S. RajamouliSathyarajAnushka ShettyPrabhasTamanna BhatiaRamya KrishnanBaahubali 2 : The Conclusion (Tamil)