Venkatesh, Rana face off for ‘Rana Naidu’

The Netflix action thriller series starring Venkatesh and Rana Daggubati, directed by Karan Anshuman, will premiere on March 10

The trailer of the action thriller series Rana Naidu shows real-life uncle and nephew, actors Venkatesh and Rana Daggubati, at loggerheads as they enact their characters Naga and Rana Naidu, a warring father-son duo. The trailer for the Netflix series, which is an adaptation of the American television series Ray Donovan, was unveiled on February 15 in Mumbai. The digital platform announced that Rana Naidu will stream worldwide on March 10 in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.

The series is produced by Sunder Aaron and Locomotive Global and created for India by Karan Anshuman of Mirzapur fame. Karan directs the series in collaboration with Suparn S Varma. Rana plays a celebrity fixer who is the go-to person for film personalities in trouble. Yet, his biggest problem comes from his father Naga Naidu.

Venkatesh enacts an unapologetic and fiery character, moving away from his predominant genteel image in Telugu cinema. The series creators describe his character as ‘a Hyderabadi tez dum ka chai’, stress-free and high on energy.

Rana Naidu’s star cast includes Surveen Chawla, Sushant Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, Gaurav Chopra, Priya Banerjee and Ashish Vidyarthi. During the trailer launch, Rana stated that the project is special since it is his first collaboration with Netflix and with my uncle, Venkatesh. “Playing the role of Rana Naidu was challenging. He is a complex character with a deep emotional connection to his family, but also struggles with his relationship with his father. Amid all this drama is his professional journey.”

Venkatesh stated, “I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with my dear nephew for the first time for a show as exciting as Rana Naidu. Portraying the character of Naga is a new experience for me, as I have never come across a character like this before. Naga is a refreshing change; with his playful demeanor, he stands in stark contrast to Rana’s intense personality. This character is witty, charismatic and layered.” 

Showrunner and director Karan added that the series delves into the themes of family, power and morality apart from exploring a unique father-son relationship. “It is also high-stakes action and an edge-of-the-seat drama with sharp writing and outstanding performances that pushes the boundaries. Be prepared for some big surprises.”