‘MY MADNESS IS NOW MORE ORGANISED’
RANA DAGGUBATI, A MAN OF MANY PARTS, SPEAKS OF HIS LOVE FOR SPORTS AND SHARES INSIGHTS ABOUT HIS MARRIAGE
“MY FATHER USED TO WAKE UP
EARLY TO WATCH AMERICAN FOOTBALL, NBA, ETC. I WAS A BIG FAN OF WWE TOO, SO I WAS EXPOSED TO GLOBAL
SPORTS AT A YOUNG AGE”
Be it films, sports, or entrepreneurship, Rana Daggubati has certainly pushed the envelope! “Sports, just like cinema, brings people together. The fact is that I enjoy various sports — from car racing to NBA and football to kabaddi — the global exposure enables me to look forward to many things,” shares the Baahubali star.
After backing the Hyderabad Football Club (in the ISL), and being the ambassador for Pro Kabaddi, Rana is excited about being the face of Sony TEN 4 for Telugu and Tamil.
He attributes his love for sports to his father and uncle Venkatesh. “They influenced me a lot during my growing years. I remember, my father used to wake up early to watch American Football, NBA, etc. I was a big fan of WWE too, so I was exposed
to global sports at a young age,” explains Rana.
While cricket is the sport everyone has been following, he says that times are changing.
“We are seeing different levels of engagement where people are trying to localise global sports.
As a result, the local audience is connecting to the global sports culture.”
With sporting events all over the world resuming
— the India vs Sri Lanka cricket series is underway and the Tokyo Games are round the corner — Rana feels multi-sport events are a great way to unite people. “We are taking our culture to the global audience and, in return, we are imbibing global sports into our culture. It’s a great transition phase,” he says, adding that sports has no language, and can uplift the spirit of people from all walks of life.
He hopes the situation in the world of sports will continue to improve.
Rana, his father, and uncle are often spotted enjoying the IPL games. Apart from films, he asserts that sports brings his family together. “Entertainment always pulls us,” he smiles, and adds, “My father and
uncle discuss sports a lot at home. Their engagement levels are at a higher level than mine though.”
“MIHEEKA IS VERY CHILL. MARRIAGE HAS BROUGHT STABILITY TO MY THOUGHT PROCESS AND ACTING. I A ABLE TO DO THINGS BETTER — EAT, SLEEP AND WORK ON TIME. I AM IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE THAN I WAS EARLIER.”
Rana feels being a part of Sony Te will also give him an opportunity to close to his roots.
While the world is slowly coming terms with the new normal, Rana, wh also an entrepreneur, believes that in vation will be key to success in busine going forward. “The pandemic h already trigged a sea-change in the w businesses are being done, it is leading new thinking. As the economy opens businesses are going beyond boundar and targeting the global stage. I feel Gen Next entrepreneurs are going to drivers of innovation,” he says.
On the film front, Rana is super thril to be back on the sets of his next fi Virata Parvam. “Let me tell you, I h been missing this on-the-sets atmosph for a long time,” he smiles, adding that has a few days of shooting left for action drama. He is also shooting for yet-to-be-titled remake of Malayalam f
“For the most part of last year everyo was at home, but suddenly we have busy trying to figure out dates and sch ules of shooting,” he says, adding t with safety protocols and smaller cre the challenge lies in planning the prod tion. “Times are changing; filmmak isn’t the same as it was before the p demic. It’s going to be different at least the next one year. We need to put on thinking caps to see how to better exec with a limited crew,” the actor observe
As we got ready to wrap up the conv sation, we couldn’t resist asking Ra who married Miheeka last August, ab his married life.
He tells us that marriage has brou stability in his life. “My madness is n more organised (laughs); Miheeka is v chill. Marriage has also brought stabi to my thought process and acting. I able to do things better — eat, sleep a work on time. I am in a much better pl than I was earlier,” he says, adding t since his wedding, he has felt m responsible and consistent.