More than three weeks after its release, Netflix original series Rana Naidu continues to remain a point of conversation on social media. It has emerged on the number four position on the streaming giant’s global charts, thus becoming one of its most globally successful Hindi-language titles to date. Not only has it grabbed the attention of the audience for its stylish treatment, Venkatesh Daggubati’s Hyderabadi Hindi and Rana Daggubati’s suave avatar but also for its sexually explicit scenes, gory sequences and raunchy abuses.
One particular scene that has been making noise is actor Gaurav Chopra’s portrayal of Prince Reddy engaging in physical intimacy with Chandni, played by transgender actor Siya Malasi. It further goes on to give the audience a hint of Prince’s sexuality under the alpha-male image he carries. Speaking to News18 exclusively, Gaurav says that he had ‘no apprehension about doing the bold scenes’ in the show and adds, “I knew it was a bold thing to do but when I say a yes to something, I jump into it. I don’t overthink or hold back after that. In fact, some of the scenes were suggested by me. I don’t think if doing a scene will benefit me or cost me. If something helps enhance the overall show, what the audience eventually sees or can underline some points in the story, character or scene, I jump into it.”
However, the one thing that he was concerned about was to not make the intimacy look ‘desperate’. Prod him further and Gaurav states, “My only thought was to make sure that it doesn’t look desperate. Such scenes are there for creative reasons but we didn’t want to make it look like someone was desperate to just include scenes of me doing it.”
The makers of Rana Naidu have been receiving praises for being one of the very few Indian shows to cast a transgender actor to play a transgender character. The Gulmohar Grand and Left Right Left actor is rather happy about making a statement and setting a precedent for working with Siya. “The scene required me to be genuinely okay about it. If I had any reservations, it wouldn’t have come out in the way it did. Right from the rehearsals till the shoot, one needs to be absolutely okay in their minds. If you’re just pretending to be okay, you wouldn’t be able to pull off a scene with such flamboyance. If you pretend, it will be visible to the audience,” he elaborates, adding, “I’ve no reservations about who my co-actor is. I’m playing a part in a fictional story and that’s what it is. It’s a statement made from the point of view of the show but even at a personal level, I wanted to make a statement.”
With inclusivity being a key word across entertainment industries across the globe today, Gaurav believes that his character subtly reinforced diversity without making a big deal out of it. “Perspectives change from person to person and when the audience watches something, they may look at it in a different light. For me, I was only playing a part who doesn’t look at another human being differently. My character looks at the other person for who and what they are. He starts off the scene by saying, ‘I’m sorry, I got aggressive before.’ He also says, ‘Stop shaving your chest. Be who you are.’ Those lines have been written very smartly and in a very measured way by Karan Anshuman. Those lines mean something, they aren’t incidental,” he explains.
For the unversed, his character Prince is a flamboyant and self-indulgent film star, who makes his way through the nepotistic industry, and rises to the pinnacle. With the positive feedback coming his way, the 43-year-old opines that it has instilled faith about him and his craft in filmmakers. “This wasn’t just a glamorous role, who is all about authority and power. I’m hugely fortunate that I got to do it. Now, I can tell people that I know my job well.”
He continues, “This was one of those performances that people need to revisit because there’s a lot being said. You might miss out something in the first watch. Prince’s story has a social narrative involved and there are many aspects that has social contexts. In a scene, he says, ‘People swing four ways aur kisi na kuch nahi hota. I tried once and I got into shit.’ There’s also a line in the show when someone tells him that he might get to work with Shah Rukh Khan somebody. To this, he says that Shah Rukh Khan will get to work with him.”
Gaurav acknowledges that the part was far removed from who he is in real life but the challenge lied in making his performance look honest and compelling. “Everything has a layer here and that’s the beauty of Karan’s writing. For me, this was purely an actor’s part. One needs to be a really good actor to be able to pull these scenes off. It didn’t matter if I looked good. If I did, then that’s a bonus. The whole point was to look convincing,” remarks the actor, who will next be seen in Gadar 2.
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