Rana Daggubati shoots tough underwater war sequences for Ghazi

Rana Daggubati who hit the headlines as the antagonist in 2015’s Baahubali, canned some tough underwater sequences for his forthcoming film, Ghazi, touted as India’s first submarine-based war film.

Baahubali’s Rana Daggubati is busy with another ambitious project these days, Ghazi, India’s first submarine-based war film. The actor recently shot some tough underwater scenes for the film. Rana, who plays a naval officer in the trilingual Ghazi, has been shooting non-stop ever since the movie went on the floors in January.

The period drama directed by Sankalp Reddy revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Pakistani submarine, PNS Ghazi, near the eastern coast of India, during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.(RanaDaggubati/Twitter)

The period drama revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Pakistan’s premiere sub, PNS Ghazi, near the eastern coast of India, en route to the Bay of Bengal, during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Being a certified diver, Rana didn’t require any lessons to shoot the underwater war sequences for the film. However, he rehearsed a bit before canning the final shots.

Read: Rana shoots for Ghazi, based on sinking of Pak submarine in 1971

Talking about the experience, Rana said: “We began shooting on January 3 with the schedule drawing to a close on Tuesday. Two submarines have been created in a large pool in Hyderabad. I am currently on a 12-day break and will resume shooting from March 10 for a start-to-finish schedule.”

Read: Rana Daggubati wants to go multi-lingual to bridge language barrier

“I am quite good at diving, but the last time I did it was around four years ago. It was shot over three days and required me to be underwater from six in the morning to two in the night. It was taxing but I was committed to giving it my best. The fact that it’s a first of its kind movie motivates me to keep working hard,” he reminisced.

Read: Rana Daggubati has a fondness for period films

There may not have been heavy-duty physical preparation involved for the war drama, but Rana did have to lose a few kilos of his weight.

“I was quite bulked up for Baahubali, so I had to shed some weight. I also underwent agility training as part of my prep,” he said.

The trilingual, which is directed by Sanklap Reddy, is being shot in Hindi and Telugu and will be dubbed in Tamil. The actor’s research also involved meeting Indian naval officers, particularly those on board the Indian naval ship. “My father helped me get in touch with many of them including those on INS Vikrant at the time,” he added.