Things you did not know about Rana Daggubati aka the evil Bhallala Deva from ‘Baahubali’

Fact 1

On a Telugu chat show, Rana Daggubati made a startling revelation that he is blind from one eye. Yes, he admitted to being blind from his right eye. He said on the show, "Should I tell you one thing, I am blind from my right eye. I see only from my left eye. The one you see is someone else’s eye which was donated to me after his death. If I close my left eye, I can see no one." Shocking, isn't it?

Fact 2

Don't go by his bulky and well-built physique as the actor is a softie by heart. Yes, Rana is quite an emotional person in real life and he often has emotional breakdowns while watching sad scenes in movies.

Fact 3

Coming from a filmy background, one would have expected the actor to take an easy route in Bollywood, but Rana chose a different route. He started off as a visual effects coordinator. Yes, he initially worked in the visual effects department for Mahesh Babu's ‘Sainikudu’ in 2006 which also gave him a Nandi Award (highest award in Tollywood). It was four years later in 2010, that he made his acting debut in 'Leader'.

Fact 4

If you've seen both the parts of the epic saga 'Baahubali', then you would have seen his amazing physical transformation from an aged ruler to a young Bhallala Deva. It definitely wasn't a cakewalk for the actor as he had to be whopping 110 kgs for the first part where he played the older version. And for that, he increased his meat consumption and had around 40 egg whites every day. The toughest part was to lose all the gained fat for the second part as he had to lose around 20 kgs to play the younger version in 'Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion'.

Fact 5

He is an ardent Kabaddi fan and is also the brand ambassador for the Pro Kabaddi League.

Fact 6

For a show, the actor turned into a coolie as the theme of the show asked celebs to take up odd jobs to help the poor. He was one of the first few celebs to volunteer for this noble cause and readily agreed to do chores of a coolie and as his earnings multiplied, he donated the money to the poor and needy. Even when the Chennai floods happened last year, the actor lent his complete support and helped people with the basic necessities like food, water and shelter.

Fact 7

Rana is a die-hard fan of legendary actors Kamal Haasan and Sridevi. In fact, for his character in 'Baahubali', the actor took inspiration from Kamal Haasan's cult classic 'Nayagan' to get the nuances right for an aged man.

Fact 8

Rana is really close friends with actor Ram Charan. In fact, they have studied in the same school of Chennai and Rana even knows Ram's wife Upasana who had been a junior in the same school. The two actors continue to share a strong bond even after all these years.