Baahubali star Rana Daggubati to play famed Indian wrestler Kodi Rammurthy Naidu in upcoming biopic

After playing the menacing Bhallaladeva in SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali franchise, actor Rana Daggubati is all set to realise his childhood dream of playing wrestler Kodi Rammurthy Naidu, who was popularly known as Indian Hercules on screen. A huge fan of Naidu and his passion towards body building and wrestling, Rana is all set to commence work on the project later this year. According to a statement, the pre-production work on Naidu’s biopic is already underway and the yet-untitled project will be made in Hindi and Telugu.

“I grew up reading about him in books. It’d be a dream role and a fitting tribute to the legendary wrestler from south India,” Rana said in a statement, without divulging much information about the project. To be bankrolled by a popular Indian production in association with an international studio, the makers are currently in talks with a few leading directors.

Rana Daggubati. Image via Twitter

With an undefeated record of over 5000 bouts, Kodi Rammurthy Naidu was awarded the title of ‘Indian Hercules' and 'Kalayuga Bheema' by King George. ​Naidu rose like a phoenix in the early 1900’s, when the British Empirical rule was firmly established in India. He was a brave-heart who fought his battles from a sports ring. Wrestling and bodybuilding were natural passions that spurred him to become the undefeated champion of the wrestling world and fueled India’s independence movement.

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In early 2017, in a media interaction, Rana confirmed that he has plans to make a film on the life of Naidu. “I love wrestling and sports. I want my love for wrestling to translate on screen. I’m planning to make a film on the life of wrestler Kodi Rammurthy Naidu. I don’t know when will the project materialize, but I really want to this film to get made,” Rana had said.

On the career front, Rana will be seen playing a mahout in the modern-day adaptation of Rajesh Khanna’s Haathi Mere Saathi. Directed by popular Tamil filmmaker Prabhu Solomon, the film has been predominantly shot in Thailand where Rana extensively shot with elephants. The makers are eyeing a Diwali 2018 release. The film, contrary to rumours, won’t be a remake of the classic. The only similarity between the two films will be the bond between elephants and human beings. Apart from Thailand, the makers also shot in Kerala and Delhi.

This year, Rana will join hands with his uncle Venkatesh for a web series on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Noted Kannada filmmaker AMR Ramesh, known for controversial films such as Cyanide and Attahasa, will be directing the web series. Rana might also star in the Telugu remake of last year’s runaway Tamil blockbuster Vikram Vedha.