Rana Daggubati
Actor Rana Daggubati on Saturday said Indian projects could go global if producers focus on “local” stories that are unique to the country. Daggubati, star of blockbuster films like ‘Baahubali’ franchise and political thriller ‘Nene Raju Nene Mantri’, says even if there is a global-hit show like Netflix’s ‘Money Heist’ in the country, it can work if locals are woven into it. Element.
“India is a land of stories with the greatest mythology ever. And they have been written on a scale that puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to shame in that sense. There will be two-three directions that will automatically take us (Global).
He said, “Because this is our culture that we are representing. So if it is a ‘money heist’, we will loot stuff like Indians. It will still be our culture and our morals that will drive that story.”
Daggubati was part of a panel discussion to celebrate the re-launch of streaming platform SonyLIV for two years. He was joined by filmmakers Hansal Mehta, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Nikkhil Advani, Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair and Danish Khan, business heads of Sony Liv, Sony Entertainment Television and StudioNext.
“What will take us to a global audience? Stories that are highly localized, things that happen in different parts of the country, that are new to the world and unique to us,” he said. The 37-year-old actor is producing several shows for SonyLIV, including “Case Files of Hemanta Rao”, which is in pre-production.
Daggubati, who recently wrapped up the shooting of his crime-drama series “Rana Naidu” for Netflix, said he has been trying to understand the storytelling process for a long time now. “We’ve been a film company for almost 50 years. Our mind is still on three hours of storytelling. I just finished another show for another network. We’re still figuring out what it means to write for a long time.” Because we didn’t live through a premium moment of TV,” he said.