Rana Daggubati

Bhallaladeva gives Rana Daggubati a clear use for his physical force: an action fantasy on this scale needs a credible threat. In Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), the scheming antagonist is a good fit for his intensity. S. S. Rajamouli gives him room to be imposing without making him seem excessive beside everything else on screen. We rate the performance in that company. The reservation is about how readily such casting can become the only thing we ask of an actor.

The route there was less straightforward than that casting might suggest. His acting debut, Leader (2010), preceded the early Hindi role in Dum Maaro Dum (2011). The latter gave evidence of a more natural actor than the later association with physical intimidation might lead us to expect. Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) made Bhallaladeva his breakthrough part. Returning to it in the sequel gave him a particularly suitable setting for the intensity that has become a recurring feature of his casting.

We were moved by Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion, because Prabhas and Anushka Shetty make the impossible action worth caring about. Daggubati’s forceful villain belongs alongside that unembarrassed feeling. Rajamouli’s inventive choreography gives the physical commitment a purpose, too. The length and relentless emphasis can wear us down, and a forceful antagonist cannot solve those problems. But this is the collaboration we would recommend first, with a warning about the demands the film makes on a quiet evening.

The Ghazi Attack (2017), with his restrained performance as Arjun Varma, is a useful next step. It gives us a reason to resist treating physical commitment as the whole of his acting. Nenu Naa Rakshasi (2011) and Naa Ishtam (2012) drew screenplay criticism despite praise for his performances, a reminder that effort does not guarantee a worthwhile film. We would not recommend a title merely because he has worked hard in it. We would happily see him given another part as restrained as Arjun Varma.