Rana Daggubati on backing Sabar Bonda: ‘There is a huge audience for this kind of cinema across the nation’ | Interview

With Sabar Bonda, Rana Daggubati is taking a step towards creating a space for independent films to release in theatres in India.

Rana Daggubati is a name that carries weight. The actor was one of the main faces that headlined the blockbuster Baahubali films, and has gone on to establish himself as a star over the last few years. But this time, he is taking his name and using it to champion independent films through his distribution company- Spirit Media.

Rana Daggubati is distributing the Marathi film Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) in India through his company Spirit Media.

Rana is backing Sabar Bonda, the acclaimed Marathi feature by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Ahead of the release, the actor-distributor sat down for an exclusive interview to talk about the decision to back this film, the need to create a space for independent films to find their audience in theatres nationwide, and what scares him a little in this new title.

‘I was blown away by the film’

Rana recalls the journey of first seeing the film and stepping forward to distribute it. “Pratiksha Rao [a partner at Spirit Media], first saw the film a year ago and was blown away by it. She instantly said, ‘This is our next film to distribute!’ I said, ‘Okay, cool!’ (smiles) Then I saw it and was blown away as well, especially because of the honesty of this film. It was so honest. The film came out in such a positive light, in such a heartwarming way.”

A still from Sabar Bonda, directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade.

The actor, who has established himself as a star in Telugu cinema, is paving a new space for himself as a distributor with Spirit Media. Last year, it distributed All We Imagine As Light, Payal Kapadia's debut feature, which won the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. This year, with Sabar Bonda up for release, their message is upfront and clear. As distributors, they want to back films that have a voice so that they can reach as many people in the country as possible.

Rana says, “The whole idea why we started Spirit Media was because we wanted another sort of voice in this medium, as a sort of alternative. It cannot be regional alone. We did this for a while in Telugu. It is a closed ecosystem, where we know when to release and publicise it, so we have got some maturity in that space.”

“All We Imagine As Light pushed us out of that comfort zone!” he says. “Now this film one cannot release in Telugu… in the sense that this was a Malayalam film and it still feels like one can do this. But the kind of reception it got from all over the country made it clear that there is an audience everywhere for this. It is just that they are not consistently given this cinema, so they do not have a pattern of forming a habit. If they know that every month there is a film like this, that they can get to watch in theatres… then it will start some kind of a change.”

‘For alternative films, we need to find that roadmap’

“So our school at Spirit Media would be to continue to produce and distribute cinema that is more alternative and creator-led,” says Rana. “Sabar Bonda and Rohan fit in that vision beautifully, and it is a joy for us to take the film forward.”

Rana continues, “Every film needs to be elevated in some manner for it to be heard by the audience. Today, we live in a world of social media, where extreme information comes at us every second. If one likes indie films, they are loaded with content from that world every ten minutes. (pauses) Then again, we are also used to a mainstream sort of promotion, where there is an event, then a press meet, then a song release. There is a fixed format! (smiles) But for alternative films, we need to find that roadmap. Each film will tell you something else.”

“So how do we remove that regional lens and take it to a country-level?” he asks. “During All We Imagine As Light, we thought it would run in Kerala and not in other places. That was the first thought. But then Delhi exploded, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and I understood that there is an audience for this kind of cinema across the nation, and we need to find the film. Now with Sabar Bonda, Maharashtra will be a huge concentration, but we will have other towns as well. We know that there is a definite audience out there to watch films like these, and for that, we need many others like Rohan to come and help us on that way (smiles).”

‘Every single story is a new story’

When I ask whether there is any part of being a distributor that scares him a little, the Baahubali actor immediately adds, “The fact that you are in a film is scary, no? (laughs) Trying to create a long-lasting career in this place!”

But as an actor, is it still scary for him, I ask.

Rana smiles and replies, “Every film is a new film that you are doing. Every single story is a new story, fresh off the board. It is a personal choice. It has nothing to do with the past success that one has had. How much the audience is going to resonate is going to be something that we take into account."

“What is amazing is that the thing that scares us also acts as the larger driving force. But to be honest, it is less scary than it normally should be, because there is no predecessor to this in any manner. This is probably the first space from which to begin, and it helps us to create a bigger space to watch more such films in theatres!” he concludes.

Sabar Bonda releases in theatres on September 19.