Ishitta Arun: Working with Venkatesh Daggubati was like taking a short class on etiquette and how to carry your stardom – Exclusive – Times of India
‘Rana Naidu’ has been getting rave reviews. How does it feel?
A lot of love and labour has gone into the making of ‘Rana Naidu’ and it feels really gratifying to see it being widely watched and ranking so highly across on all platforms, globally. As an actor and a team member, I have seen the sweat, blood, and tears that have gone into making this series. It feels nice to be recognised globally.
What really attracted you to the character of Anna?
Anna is a strong woman. On the surface, it looks like she has her life together, but inside she is hiding a deep, dark secret: an unhappy, abusive marriage that she is trapped in. She has not left her marriage for the sake of her son’s well being. However, she is a humane character. She is not a black and white character or a woman who sacrifices everything for the sake of her loved ones. She does give in to her heart at the end, when she finally decides to leave her abusive marriage.
There is one non-negotiable aspect of her personality, which is that she stands by doing the right thing, abiding by the law, and having a clear conscience. In her mind, she has worked very hard and given a lot to remain in the marriage. She is in the business of saving lives, so physically harming another person is out of the question. I liked her tenderness and the fact that she is a strong woman.
Describe the shooting experience for ‘Rana Naidu…
It was surreal. I got to work with some of the biggest names in the industry. I had no idea who all were a part of the series when I came on board for it. I went into it blindly. The most memorable part was working with two directors who have different rhythms. One is diametrically different from the other. It was quite an experience to do the same scene in two different days with two different directors. You need to read, adapt, and imbibe what they are saying.
Up, close and personal, it was not you who was the senior or junior actor on the set. Everybody was on the same playing field. There was an immense amount of respect and work ethics. It was a beautifully handled project.
How was the experience of working with ace actors like Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh Daggubati?
Rana and Venkatesh were very down-to-earth and approachable. It was like working with any other actor. I have shared jokes with both of them because I like cracking a lot of jokes and having fun behind the scenes. Venky sir, Rana and I had a night shoot on two occasions. I had a very late night shoot with Venky sir. I didn’t see any sort of tiredness in him. He gave his 100 percent till it was pack-up time. Even after that, he was very respectfully aware of who the female cast members were on the set and if they were okay. Working with him was like taking a short lesson in etiquette and how to carry your stardom.
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