It is well known that Rana Daggubati is teaming up with Dulquer Salmaan for Kaantha, a Tamil-Telugu bilingual period drama set in 1950s Madras. The film, directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, features Dulquer in the lead role, with Rana also appearing in a key part. But it’s behind the scenes that Rana is making a strong creative impact, as co-producer under his banner Spirit Media.
Speaking to THR India, Rana opened up about casting Dulquer, saying the role demanded someone specific. “Each story decides who its actor is,” he said. “The second I heard it, I didn’t see anyone but Dulquer in it. If he probably wasn’t in it, we probably would not have made the film.”
Rana praised Dulquer’s grounded approach to stardom, calling him “secure” as an actor who doesn’t chase formulaic success. “Things don’t need to go into a mainstream beat for him to create a successful film,” he added.
The project is a joint venture between Spirit Media and Dulquer’s Wayfarer Films, and also stars Bhagyashri Borse and Samuthirakani. For Rana, it’s not about being in front of the camera, but serving the story in the best way possible – and in this case, that meant backing Dulquer to lead.