I look to invest in new experiences, says Rana

Rana Daggubati talks to us almost after three years. He was last seen in a bilingual flick Naane Raja Naana Manthiri in 2017. “I’m glad to see myself back on the big screen after a long time. Kaadan, which will release as Aranya in Telugu and Haathi Mere Saathi in Hindi will immerse the audience into a jungle they haven’t witnessed before,” he begins. 

After the release of Baahubali, there were only a couple of pan Indian films that released – Rajini’s 2.0 and Prabhas’s Saaho, which were made on a whopping budget of over Rs 400 crore. “We didn’t look to invest such huge sum of money for Kaadan. I believe in investing in a great story that provides an enriching experience. 

When we tell people that Kaadan is a trilingual or a pan Indian film, it means that the story will be relevant to people across the country. There are forests in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and even Assam. 

We experienced what it is like to live in a jungle with wildlife and no mobile phone network. That is what this film will tell people.” The actor-producer for the first time has dubbed in all three languages for his role. “I haven’t done this before. Moreover, I have acted with different cast members in the Tamil and Hindi versions. In Tamil, Vishnu Vishal plays an important role, which is reprised by Pulkit Samrat in Hindi. 

Their thinking is different; their body languages are different. I shot for the portions simultaneously and got into the skin of the character. By the time, I shot for the Hindi scene, I knew what director Prabhu Solomon exactly wanted from me and it was easy for me to deliver,” he explains.

The story is based on environmental activist Jadav Payeng, who is known as the Forest Man of India. “He has developed 1,360 acres of forests in Assam. The film revolves around that and the importance of preserving nature. 

I want my films to have some takeaways for the audience for the money they pay. I don’t want to do a regular ‘masala’ film. If that is the case, I could have done more number of films in a year. I still want to do more than one film a year. 

However, the films I choose end up taking a lot of time for the making. Baahubali took five years, now Kaadan has taken two years. These scripts require such time,” he laughs. There has been a lot of debate around Rana’s weight loss of late. He opens up and says, “I lost around 40 kilos for the film. 

When I did my screen test I looked like an amateur bodybuilder. Prabhu looked at me and said, idhu ottala (this look doesn’t suit the character). I was shocked and asked him enna? ottalaya (what are you saying). Then I had to change my diet plan. 

I turned vegetarian for quite some time. Having been a meat-eater all through my life, I had to go on a vegetarian diet to lose muscle. After I saw myself on screen, I realised that it was worth it.” 

Produced by Eros International and directed by Prabhu Solomon, Kaadan is all set to hit the screens on April 2.