When Rana Daggubati towered onto the silver screen as Bhallaladeva in Baahubali, he became a cinematic force many fans couldn’t ignore. But the actor’s journey since then has been anything but predictable. From blockbuster spectacles to intimate character-driven films, Rana has carved a path defined by risk, reinvention, and resilience. Actor, producer, entrepreneur, talk show host, this versatile man has worn many hats and done so with panache. He made many heads turn with his powerful role in Baahubali. After a forced break, he is now reinventing himself as a serial entrepreneur, shaping a dynamic second innings beyond cinema. Even as he continues to pursue films, including an upcoming mythology project, his entrepreneurial vision reflects a broader reinvention. This journey was born out of resilience. Shortly after the phenomenal success of Baahubali, Rana faced a life-threatening health crisis involving kidney failure and severe heart calcification. A transplant and a year-long break from work became unavoidable, and the struggle left him with drastic weight loss, forcing him to step away from roles he had committed to. For an actor whose physicality was central to his screen presence, the setback was profound. Yet it also marked a turning point. Today, his focus extends beyond external strength to holistic wellness, prioritising rest, nutrition, and balance as much as fitness. Alongside his film ventures, he has built a diverse business portfolio that includes Kingdom of White (a lifestyle brand), Ghost Kitchens (a multi-brand cloud kitchen company), Ikonz (a Web3 firm), Gamezop (game development), VS Mani & Co (coffee and snacks), and The Sanctuary Bar and Kitchen, his childhood home in Banjara Hills transformed into a high-end resto-bar. And this time, actor Rana Daggubati is entering the exciting world of alcohol with his tequila brand Loca Loka, which he’s co-founded with musician Anirudh Ravichander and entrepreneur Harsha Vadlamudi. The multi-faceted and amiable artiste, who was in Bengaluru, opened up about his deep passion for movies, his friendship with Rishab Shetty and more in this freewheeling chat…

As an actor and producer, what projects are you working on right now and what do you want to work on in the future?
I just started shooting for my next big screen outing, which I can’t talk about right now. Currently, we are shooting in multiple languages. Also, I have other projects in the pipeline. Everytime you tell a story, it’s about creating a new experience for the audience that’s walking in for the first time, which I’ve done with in my previous projects.

Is there going to be another season of your talk show? How was it interviewing Kannada stars for it?
The shoot with Upendra was so much fun. I had only briefly met him before but during the show, I properly interacted with him and I have so much love for him. As for Rishab Shetty, we went to Kundapur and shot the episode. When we got there, I realised that I don’t speak any Kannada and he doesn’t speak any Telugu. I also realised that doing it in Hindi would be weird as I can’t think quickly in Hindi. Then we discovered that both of us know broken Tamil, so we somehow found a middle ground – that’s the best thing about being south Indian!

Post that, we’ve been very good friends and hung out many times.

Will you do any project in Kannada?
I don’t know the language too well. However, I do have some filmmakers call me and say ‘let’s do this!’

You are multi-talented. How do you balance all your roles?
People know only the twenty things that I do. They don’t know the hundred things I did and failed. I feel like you’re given one life and one opportunity to achieve certain things and you should take the risk.

Have you taken any risk professionally that’s taught you an invaluable lesson?
Every failure teaches you something pretty awesome and teaches you a great lesson. Success is quite a lousy teacher. When you get very successful, you tend to slack a little. Whether it’s a film failure or a business failure, it gives you an idea of how not to do things and it really opens you up to understanding more. For a person like me, who’s never gotten a formal structured business world education, I’ve realised that you need to get your hands dirty to get the job done.

Do you prefer OTT or movies?
Movies give you a communal experience, but OTT lets you be with the character and story for a much longer time. In a film, the character gets over in a duration of 3 hours. But in OTT, you can live with the character and can like and dislike it and like it again! You have a different relationship with actors in OTT.

What’s your take on AI and cinema?
Well, I think things are going to get more efficient now. It’s a civilisation change in terms of what it can do. I am just looking forward to what kind of products we can create, how much quicker it can make our process and I am excited about it. We are pretty hands-on in our lab when it comes to AI.

What’s excites you more – being an entrepreneur or an actor?
Being in front of the camera is one of the most blissful things I can do because it involves me living my childhood dream. I get to play different characters doing what those characters do, without any repercussions. So, I think acting is the most special thing where you get to tell stories during your lifetime. Even as an entrepreneur, everything leads to storytelling with a product attached in some manner. During your leisure time, we give you movies and stories. Similarly, we give you tequila during your leisure time! The world of leisure is where I like to set my foot in.