Order my first book 'Build, Don't Talk' here: https://amzn.eu/d/eCfijRu

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In this episode of the Figuring Out podcast, we are in conversation with Rana Daggubati. Actor, producer and entrepreneur, Rana Daggubati best known as the vicious antagonist 'Bhallaladeva' from the record-breaking Indian franchise, Baahubali, Rana, however, began his mainstream film career as the producer of the National Award-winning film Bommalata (2004).

In 2005, he set up Spirit Media, a company that specialized in VFX and animation.

On the back of the phenomenal success of the Baahubali franchise, Rana went to earn another first with India's first underwater film, The Ghazi Attack (2017), which was a commercial success and garnered him another prestigious National Award.

In 2018, Rana entered into a joint venture with one of India's leading entertainment agencies, Kwan Entertainment. He also partnered with Anthill Ventures, an investment and scaling platform for early growth stage start-ups, to launch Anthill Studio. Rana also bought a stake Amar Chitra Katha in 2019.

While his passions, interests and endeavors many seem varied, there is one thread that seems to define everything that drives Rana Daggubati - the power and glory of storytelling - a love that he has confessed to many times.

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🎧 Stream Figuring Out episodes on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/736rhmW7vilNgkFFo8aDz4

📺 Watch Figuring Out episodes on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0Jo6NF_JYO5-phess8GKafKMtPv3tfZ

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Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:29 - Tata's Big Hit
02:56 - Ghazi Attack Experience
05:28 - Height Fear of Rana
06:06 - Physical Transformation of Rana Daggubati
09:38 - His role as Villain in Bahubali
12:23 - Shelf life of Artists
14:00 - What does Rana look like after 20 years?
15:15 - Why he invested in Amar Chitra Katha
19:51 - Family dynamics of Rana Daggubati
21:55 - Why he dropped out of college?
26:55 - Relationship with Money in his teenage
29:30 - Why should everyone must spend on experiences?
32:09 - Love story of Rana Daggubati
35:21 - His idea of an Unicorn business
39:55 - Most valuable thing in business
41:55 - His earning sources
43:38 - How he spend his money?
47:45 - His plans with Amar Chitra Katha
50:09 - Marvel characters inspired by mythology?
51:12 - Favourite super hero movie of Rana
52:10 - Power, Fame and Money
53:35 - South Indian Cinema vs Bollywood
57:49 - Role of Bahubali in South Indian cinema
58:43 - 3 Things bollywood should learn from South Indian movies
1:03:35 - How to understand Indian audience?
1:06:23 - What makes South Indian movies exciting?
1:09:50 - AI or ChatGpt stealing jobs?
1:12:07 - Pattern of Telugu or Tamil Movies
1:15:17 - Ramayana Vs Mahabharata
1:17:34 - Pattern of making a hit film
1:21:24 - What signal Rana wants to give to the world?
1:23:53 - Quantity vs Quality
1:24:28 - Rana's Artist mode vs Business mode
1:27:29 - His plan to enter politics
1:28:16 - What drives him now?
1:30:51 - Rana Naidu
1:32:40 - Next big opportunity in India
1:36:13 - Conclusion

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My gear for shooting this video:

Canon EOS 200D II 24.1MP DSLR Camera: https://amzn.to/3GuiPFK
Canon EF50MM F/1.8 STM Lens: https://amzn.to/3WZOSoi
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6: https://amzn.to/3ZpKBMy
Yunteng Aluminium Tripod (Vct-690, Black): https://amzn.to/3ItEzV0
Zoom H6 All Black (2020 Version): https://amzn.to/3irUCIf
Shure SM7B Cardioid Vocal Dynamic Microphone: https://amzn.to/3GPimiM
Shure MV7 USB Podcast Microphone: https://amzn.to/3Xjy63d
GODOX SL150II 150W LED Video Light: https://amzn.to/3XeN0aL

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About Raj Shamani

The Cranky Flier Interview #31 - Air Canada EVP Marketing and Digital Mark Nasr