Rana Daggubati on ‘Kaantha’: Couldn’t Imagine Anyone But Dulquer Salmaan In It

Rana Daggubati has an eye for production, and he showcases this through his banner, Spirit Media. Among his upcoming productions is Dulquer Salmaan’s Kaantha, a period drama directed by Selvamani Selvaraj. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the actor-producer said he couldn’t see anyone but Dulquer in the film. “Each story decides who its actor is in some manner, and everyone is right for a certain role. And I think if you're trying to be a producer of a film, it's about finding the best for that story. The second I heard it, I didn't see anyone but Dulquer in it. So I was like, if he was not in it, we probably wouldn't have made the film.”

Daggubati will be co-producing the film along with Dulquer’s Wayfarer Films. Daggubati added that he was pretty secure as an actor. “There are only some things that I like to do on screen. In my 15 years as an actor, I would have done just about 10 or 12 roles, but they all are so memorable and they just become a part of me.” Speaking about Kaantha, the actor added that Dulquer brought in a certain indie spirit. “ I think Dulquer carries that so beautifully with the kind of cinema that he does and the characters he plays. He's so secure in terms of just being an actor, things don't need to go into a mainstream beat of things for him to create a successful film. So I think that way, he was probably the best guy to collaborate with.”

The actor also spoke about producing Praveena Paruchuri's Kothapallilo Okappudu, a slice-of-life human drama, which is headed for the theatres on July 18. “Earlier, life was learned through cinema,” said Daggubati. “The humour we have, the jokes we make, the way we understand family, all of that came from cinema in some form.” But now, commercial cinema has taken a turn. “Today, you see very little of that. Cinema rarely tells human stories anymore.”

That’s part of what drew him to Paruchuri’s directorial debut. The film reminded him of the movies he grew up watching, the kind that transported audiences into everyday lives with heart. “After a long time, this felt refreshing,” he said. “If I walked into my village, these are the people I’d meet. And this would almost be the problem that’s going on.”

For the actor, the desire to support alternative storytelling isn’t just a personal choice; it’s a continuation of a legacy. “What gives me belief is my grandfather. He came from a small village and decided to make movies. And he made a hundred of them by himself,” he noted. His grandfather is the popular producer D Ramanaidu.“So to me, that’s where all the direction comes from. If you want to do something, you just get up and do it.”

Watch our full interview with Rana Daggubati and Praveena Paruchuri on The Hollywood Reporter India's YouTube channel soon.