Rana Daggubati Interview: On ‘Solo Leveling’ and Anime’s Untapped Multilingual Treasures

Day 1 at Comic Con Delhi 2024 | Photo Courtesy: Vishnu Jotshi

“When it comes to Japanese influence, my first memory is of Kurosawa – ran And all those classics,” he says without hesitation. “There’s a trace of him in every filmmaker.” Kurosawa was his gateway, which was followed by a steady stream of Japanese gangster films. Much later, anime and manga entered the scene. he tells the name a piece And fearless As a favorite but admits he was a late bloomer. “I grew up watching Indian comics – Amar Chitra Katha, Phantom, MandrakeAnd chimeManga and anime only came into focus after a trip to Japan Baahubali promotion. The comic con there was eye-opening.”

The trip was truly transformative. This not only increased his appreciation for the medium but also sowed the seeds for his work in it. solo leveling“Once you discover these things late in life, they start influencing the way you tell stories,” he reflects. Storytelling, more than fans, as well as the surprisingly symbiotic relationship between anime and Indian cinema, seem to have inspired Rana’s foray into the art-form.

voicing the icy villain solo leveling By the second gig it started to feel like a bit much. It was a chance to immerse myself in a craft that is as revered in its homeland as it is in its country of origin. He said, “Japanese voice actors are like cult heroes.” “I watched some anime but I wanted to bring my own thing to it. It’s about capturing the ethos of the character, not copying someone else’s performance. Japanese actors set the tone; My job was to localize it without losing that essence.

Barsa the Ice Elf in a scene from ‘Solo Leveling Reawakening’ Photo Credit: Crunchyroll

Rana found himself drawing influences from unexpected places, including the late, great James Earl Jones. “More than Darth Vader, it was Mufasa,” he explained. “I think he had a huge influence on my life and during my voice training and it’s sad that we won’t be able to hear more of him in life.”

And then there was the small matter of multilingual dubs – Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. He says, “Personally, I wasn’t very confident, but the Crunchyroll team was confident, so I continued dubbing in all the languages.” “If the language of any of the three (especially Hindi) is bad, blame Crunchyroll for trusting me,” he laughs.

Once relegated to the basement of Indian pop culture, anime is now riding a new wave of mainstream enthusiasm. Between streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, theatrical releases, and thriving conventions like the stage we’re sitting on, the medium has finally shed its niche beginnings. But can it overcome the infamous “one-inch barrier” of Bong Joon-ho’s subtitles and reach a truly mass audience in India?

Rana doesn’t seem to be worried. “If a story is strong enough, it doesn’t need help crossing borders,” he says with conviction. As one of the most prominent voices of Tollywood, he is confident that India will be the first Has been ready to tell this kind of story since. “We’re all functioning in that ecosystem, we’re just little tools to move it forward an inch at a time. Using a familiar voice like mine in Telugu helps connect with an otherwise inaccessible audience, and I think that’s beautiful.

Rana Daggubati in the dubbing studio for ‘Solo Leveling Reawakening’ Photo Credit: Crunchyroll

What fascinates me most about anime is its tonal flexibility. He marveled, “It’s the only form of art I’ve seen that can go from extreme gore to deeply emotional storytelling in the blink of an eye.”

Rana’s career also reflects similar versatility. from the all India victory of Baahubali Payal Kapadia’s French-made, Malayalam-Hindi film to be distributed We imagine everything as light And now the Korean-Japanese adaptation is being dubbed into three different languages; It seems to thrive on cultural cross-pollination. “It’s not about deliberately choosing multilingual projects,” he says. “It’s about telling good stories to the widest audience possible. Whether it’s dubbing, subtitling, or reimagining the story for a new culture, it’s part of the job. In India, we grow up mixing languages, so it feels natural.”

This environment extends to his hopes for the development of anime in India. “We need today’s anime fans to become tomorrow’s creators,” he says. “Like Japan, we have this ancient tradition of storytelling that is waiting to be reimagined in different formats.”

A group of cosplayers pose at the Crunchyroll Arena at Comic Con Delhi 2024. Photo Courtesy: Vishnu Jotshi

When pressed for an Indian comic he would like to see adapted, his response is immediate: Amar Chitra Katha“The entire library! “Those stories have been passed down for generations, but they have never been translated into other mediums.”

As soon as our conversation ends, I ask him for anime recommendations. “I’m still no expert,” he admits, before flipping the script in a way that would send a shiver down the spine of any self-respecting Webb put on the spot. “Why don’t you give me yours?”

Caught in the headlights, I struggle to make a delivery and a quick nod to my trusty straw hat gives me time to cross off a list. a piece, attack on Titan, vinland sagaAnd Freeren: Beyond the End of the JourneyHe nods thoughtfully. “Done.”

The idea of ​​Bhallaladeva revisiting the whimsical antics of a sleeping little elf is, in its own way, delightfully disarming.

Solo Leveling Reawakening is currently playing in theaters. The upcoming second season of Solo Leveling will premiere exclusively on Crunchyroll in January 2025