Rana Daggubati has joined hands with filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj for the upcoming Tamil film, Neelira (A Long Night). Touted to release on April 3, the film blends war drama with human emotions. Ahead of its release, Karthik and Rana sat down for an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, discussing the importance of such cinema. The latter also talked about the challenges he faced during the filming of Baahubali while portraying the role of Bhallaladeva.
When asked about which Baahubali scene took a mental and physical toll on him, Rana Daggubati told Pinkvilla, “We’ve shot that for like six years or something. So most of those were like that. It’s not about one scene because at that point, we were discovering how to make that film also. No, it was not like we had so many war films that were made. It was not like car action choreographers or visual effects were up to that mark. It was pushing everyone’s boundaries. It needed a master like Rajamouli and a team that came together for that vision. Usually, in a film, we can’t last for that long in our minds.”
Watch the full interview here:
He went on to add, “Just the fact that there was a whole crew that lasted six, seven years to get this film done, I think in itself was a big milestone. The reason it took so long is that we were doing something so exciting. When you go onto a set and say you’re doing this for the first time ever on screen, and that’s a high that nothing else can counter. The fact that the first time you walk onto a chariot or you hold your mace, you know, an audience is going to see this, witness this for the first time in their lives on a screen. I think that trumps all the other pieces that come with it.”
Further, the Rana Naidu actor opened up about whether he was afraid that he might not be the hot guy anymore after Baahubali. He recalled an incident wherein an immigration officer recognized him as Bhallaldeva years after the film was released. The 41-year-old said, “Not the hot guy. My physicality changed. So I was coming back from the States, and I thought, would they recognize me now because I look so different from the guy who left, and the first person who recognized me was an immigration officer who was African-American. I took my mask off. He said, “Wow, that’s King Bhallaladeva. I said that’s it, boss. This film is aging beautifully,” and that’s four or five years after the film. So, I think cinema is forever. It creates an impact that doesn’t go off.”
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
