Rana Daggubati reveals why Dulquer Salmaan is ‘best’ fit for playing lead in Kaantha over him: ‘So secure as actor…’

Since his debut with the 2010 Sekhar Kammula film Leader, Rana Daggubati has been picky about his roles. Here's what he said about his upcoming film Kaantha.

Actor-producer Rana Daggubati has been picky about his roles since he debuted with the 2010 film Leader, directed by Sekhar Kammula. He is now co-producing a Tamil-Telugu bilingual film with Dulquer Salmaan, which sees the Malayalam star as the lead. In an interview with THR India, Rana affirmed why Dulquer was perfect for the role, even though he could’ve played the part too.

Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati are co-producing and acting in Kaantha.

Rana Daggubati on producing Dulquer Salmaan’s film

Rana was asked how he feels about producing a film with Dulquer that stars the latter as the lead when he is an actor himself. He said, “Each story decides who its actor is in some manner, and everyone is right for a certain role. And I think if you’re trying to be a producer of a film, it’s about finding the best for that story. The second I heard it, I didn’t see anyone but Dulquer in it. So I was like, if he probably wasn’t in it, we probably would not have made the film.”

Rana also praised Dulquer for being ‘secure’ as an actor instead of playing to the gallery and said, “Dulquer is so secure in terms of just being an actor, things don’t need to go into a mainstream beat of things for him to create a successful film. So I think in that way, he was probably the best guy to collaborate with.” The actor-producer also stated that there are only ‘some things’ he has liked to do as an actor in his 15-year career, which is why he has played only 10-12 roles, which are all special to him.

About Kaantha

Kaantha explores a story set in 1950s Madras during the post-Independence era. Directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, the film stars Dulquer in the lead with Rana, Bhagyashri Borse, and Samuthirakani in key roles. It is produced by Rana’s Spirit Media and Dulquer’s Wayfarer Films.