Bipasha & I are still good friends: Rana Daggubati

Tollywood hunk Rana Daggubati talks to Hyderabad Times about the 'Vada Chennai'
controversy, his Casanova tag and his next Tamil film

You are ranked 20 in the Times 50 Most Desirable Men of 2011 and that pretty much goes with your Casanova tag...
Thanks to all those who voted for me, but what's this Casanova tag? I'm an outgoing guy. I'm seen dining and partying in public with my friends and then the link-ups follow.

Surely there cannot be so much smoke without fire? There's a long list of your 'friends' -from Shriya and Bipasha, to Anjana Sukhani and now Trisha.

Bipasha and I are still good friends, our 'reported' romance was 'created'. But the latest on Trisha is the funniest. I have known Trisha for many years, much before entering films. In fact, she and Shriya are part of a big clique in Chennai. We all hang out together. For the record, as of now, I'm still single.

So, keeping in with your current image, are you ready to go shirtless for any of your upcoming movies?
I'm ready to go shirtless. That's exactly what I'm working towards. My upcoming films "Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum" (KVJ) with Krish and a Tamil-Telugu bilingual film with Selva are hardcore action films. For these films, I'm training with a body builder who won a medal at the recent Mr India competitions. My daily morning gym session with him starts at 5.30 and I have a workout session with him in the evening too. I am ready to unveil myself, muscles and all!

Your exit from your much-hyped Tamil debut "Vada Chennai" has led to talk that you had walked out of the film because you were scared of being overshadowed by Simbu...
See, Vetri (director Vetrimaaran) wanted to shoot the film in March and April in the sweltering, hot climate in Chennai to get that raw and gritty look, but I had already given those dates to Krish. Also my role in the film had a gradual progression. I had to sport four looks depending on the age of the character. This was clashing with my look in "KVJ". Apart from me, there were others in the cast and I did not want to stall the film's shooting. Vetri and I had a good chat when I decided to opt out of his film. Post "Vada" I will be doing a Tamil-Telugu bilingual with him.


You look younger in the rushes of "Naa Ishtam"...
Yeah! In fact even my mom said so. I told her, 'Amma, I am young!' I guess it's just that all the roles that I did till now, be it a politician in "Leader" or a cop in "Department", have been mature roles. In "Naa Ishtam", I play a selfish brat and Genelia, whom I'm paired with, is quite the opposite. The bubbly Genelia of "Bommarillu" will be seen in a different avatar in this movie. Genelia is very professional. Just 20 days before her wedding day, she was shooting for the film! It was fun doing this movie. Even some of the dialogues are impromptu. Officially, this is my first Telugu comedy feature film! My next is "KVJ" in which I play 'BTech Babu' - I put on this accent that is similar to a West Godavari guy who settles in Hyderabad. Now, you know what to expect from the film!

How was it working in your second B-town film, "Department"?
Working with Amitabh Bachchan was a fantastic learning experience. Despite his experience in the industry, he prepares himself for a role like a newcomer. He's constantly practicing his lines and is always into the character while on the sets. It was an amazing experience for me. Working with Sanjay Dutt was 'super', he's got superb timing. He has the best home gym in Mumbai and whenever I am there, I use it.