All 'Gaali-Galoch' Aside, 12 Actors That Uplifted Rana Naidu With Jaw-Dropping Performances
Rana Naidu fever is slowly gripping the viewers. An Indianised version of American web series Ray Donovan which aired for seven seasons, Rana Naidu is basically a thrilling battle of power between real life uncle and nephew Rana and Venkatesh Daggubati.
The story centres on the tumultuous relationship between Naga, who wasn¡¯t an ideal father to his sons and left them in a lurch, and his son Rana. Convicted of a murder, he had bee serving a 20-year jail sentence. However, he gets released after 15 years solely based on his good behaviour. The minute he breathes the air of freedom, fresh trouble stirs up in the family.
Ties are renewed with his sons except for one. While one part of the estranged family is ecstatic, one son in particular isn¡¯t very pleased and wants him gone for good. Thus begins, a battle between Rana and Naga which leads to the unveiling of deeply buried secrets.?
While the center plot focuses on the father-son, there are several other tracks that make the show an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
The pros of this series lies in the pace and the diversity of characters. The cons, like many people on the internet have mentioned, is the explicit language, gore and raunchy scenes.?
However, I'm pretty sure that most would agree that what makes Rana Naidu a good watch is the plethora of artists that have been roped in.
Let¡¯s take a look at 11 actors who brought glory to the show with their finesse and spectacular acting capabilities. Scroll!
1. Venkatesh Daggubati AKA Naga Naidu
Hardcore Telugu fans would tell you that it¡¯s unlike Venkatesh to play such a rowdy and foul-mouthed character. His filmography consists of clean and inspiring roles which has helped him build a clean and respectful image. However, with this series he has taken a very unlikely turn with his portrayal of a womaniser with a questionable past. His misdeeds have caused severe damage to his sons both physically and mentally. In his second tryst with the outside world, he is hell bent on making things right.
Having said that, there¡¯s a certain likeability that his character warrants and it gets hard to not feel for him. I for one, enjoyed watching him curse like a sailor, especially the ¡®baigan¡¯ reference as a gaali. Oh, FYI baigan means brinjal!
2. Rana Daggubati AKA Rana Naidu
While I'am guilty of not having caught on to his regional work, Bhallaldeva is obviously the highlight of the show. A Bollywood fixer, Rana Naidu is a force to be reckoned with. His dark and brooding personality adds to the mystery and definitely gives a ¡®don¡¯t mess with me lest you die¡¯ impression. With solid contacts and a super efficient team of two, he can basically make anything happen at the behest of his celebrity clients. His work life is a secret and gives a desi Mission Impossible vibe minus the physical stunts. He has a beautiful wife and two sweet kids who eventually get involved in the mess as all hell breaks loose.?
3. Surveen Chawla AKA Naina
A former movie star who has wound up her acting career to give all her time to her family, Surveen plays a good wife who is both beautiful and supportive of her husband's doings. Initially, she is open to the idea of Rana¡¯s estranged father Naga forming a bond with her children even if it meant going against her husband¡¯s wishes. Circumstances then make her realize how much damage has been borne by Naga¡¯s sons because of his misdeeds. Personally, I wished her character had more depth and substance. Throughout the 10 episodes, she is only seen mouthing - What the fuck is going on, Rana? Where are you, Rana? What are you not telling me, Rana? And the likes.?
After a point, it got hammering to say the least.
4. Sushant Singh AKA Tej?
Another one of Naga¡¯s sons and the eldest sibling, he¡¯s sensible and mature. He used to be a stuntman and runs a film stunts agency. He is shown to be battling the onset of Parkison¡¯s disease. One can say that he tried to fill in for his father by providing for both his brothers in his absence. Most of us know Sushant from his Savdhaan India hosting days but he is loaded in terms of acting prowess. The power that his presence emulates remains unmatched.
5. Abhishek Banerjee AKA Jaffa/Pawan
The youngest of the trio, Jaffa is a nervous wreck. He is meek, underconfident and directionless when it comes to what he wants to do in life. Soon, we are made privy to the horrifying child abuse that he underwent which has left a deep impact on him. He is on the mend and trying to regain his lost confidence but faces several roadblocks during the journey.?
From fierce Hathoda Tyagi to a meek Jaafa, Abhishek Banerjee has proved that there¡¯s hardly any role that he can¡¯t portray seamlessly.
6. Gaurav Chopra AKA Prince Reddy
Another very fine artist, Chopra plays the typical Bollywood actor who is full of himself and thinks no end of his own self. He thinks he is a bonafide star who rules the industry and everything should be aligned as per his desires. He has Rana on his speed dial to take care of all his dirty work. He leads a dual life - one for the celluloid and the real one which is far from perfect. He is the real reason why Rana and his father Naga became enemies in the first place.
7. Rajesh Rais AKA OB Mahajan
In the absence of Naga, OB Mahajan cared for Rana like his own son and Rana can go to any extent to save Mahajan¡¯s posterior. In his quest for power, OB is shown to be losing his mind which indicates a health scare which is being overlooked. He is the provider of powerful clients to Rana and in exchange these clients help OB uplift his political career. Rajesh Rais who is usually seen in character roles has exhibited?his craft effortlessly in this series.?
8. Adithya Menon AKA Srini
Srini is Rana¡¯s right hand. His job entails following the orders that Rana gives at any given point of time. As a fixer, Rana has unconditional support from his two subordinates Srini and Lara who are ready to assist him with no questions asked.?While Lara sees Rana as his superior, Srini is more than just a colleague. The duo shares a friendship and throughout the show, Srini is assigned the tasks that are most important to Rana, including tailing Naga and ensuring the safety of his family. Menon has a very attractive personality and solid screen presence which makes him fun to watch.?
9. Ishitta Arun AKA Ana
Ishitta Arun plays the role of Ana, a physiotherapist who is also Tej¡¯s love interest. Ana and Tej fall in love with each other but Ana has secrets of her own that prevent them from being together officially. She eventually puts Tej in such a situation where he has to choose between truth and his family and the man ends up choosing the latter which indicates the end of their relationship. In the little time that she was given, Arun made the most of it!
Trivia - For the unversed, Ishitta is the daughter of legendary singer Ila Arun.
10. Ashwin Mushran AKA Farzad Soonawala
A new assignment connects Rana to a builder, Farzad Soonawala. Farzad wants Rana to find out whether his lover, Mandira Sharma, is cheating on him or not. It is later revealed that he already knows Mandira, unbeknown?to Farzad. As the show progresses, Rana ends up sleeping with Mandira which irks Soonawala to no end. He then tries to drive a wedge between Rana and his wife. Despite a small role, Mushran provided just the right amount of comic timing and repulsiveness by playing the role of a sleazeball to perfection.
11. Ashish Vidyarthi AKA Surya
15 years ago, Rana was working for Surya, Hyderabad¡¯s biggest gangster. Prince was moving to Mumbai to establish his acting career, and Rana wanted to accompany him to get away from his father Naga, who had also stolen from Surya.
However, Surya forbade Rana from leaving. Years later, Rana hires Surya, who is a wanted man in India, to kill Naga in exchange for fleeing the country and a huge sum of money.?
Ashish Vidyarthi is a consistent performer who seldom disappoints. A solid character artist, he definitely upped the ante of the show with his fabulous performance.
12. Rajesh Kumar AKA Sujoy
Last but not the least, our very own Rosesh Sarabhai is also a part of this thriller series. He plays a corrupt CBI officer who has good ties with Rana. When things go south, Rana rings him up to move the investigation around. However, this time Sujoy decides to not get blackmailed into carrying out Rana¡¯s dirty job. He rebels but in the end Rana helps him to score brownie points and get a promotion in exchange for his silence.?
Mostly, Kumar is seen in comic roles. In the show, he plays a foul-mouthed corrupt officer who goes through an awakening and decides to stand for the right. One cannot help but wonder at the newness that he brought along. Quite a pleasant change!
As far as the explicit content goes, the makers and the artists had issued a disclaimer beforehand that Rana Naidu is not meant for the family audiences and should be watched individually. If you keep aside the hue and cry, it is a decent watch which provides the entertainment that it promised. Whether another season will be made or not remains to been seen.?
(To?read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading?Indiatimes BINGE)
