It’s not very often that one spots a super-hot Tollywood and Bollywood star outside Empire on Church Street, but two nights ago... we, quite literally, bumped into Rana Daggubati in all his 6- foot-tallness chilling out with a few friends outside this landmark Bangalore restaurant.
“I love the city, man, it’s got an awesome vibe. Bangalore’s energy is unbeatable. I just love how much young energy this city oozes with,” opens Rana Daggubati as we corner him on the sidewalk, with good intentions of course. “I just landed in Bangalore and I’m here for the Swedish House Mafia concert,” he adds.
The concert was postponed by a day and so Rana was quite happy about the extra time he got to spend with his sister, who calls Bangalore home. “I am a huge EDM fan and try to catch as many concerts as my work schedule permits. When I heard that SHM was performing in Bangalore and that this would be one of their last performances... I just knew I had to be here!” explains Rana.
So, is Empire the kind of place you would hang out at in Hyderabad too, we ask and pat comes the reply, “Of course! My preferences in life are simple — I like movies, food and books in that very order. Hyderabad is a city famous for its Nizam cuisine and so I am often caught red-handed in the old city, gorging on the delicacies that cannot be recreated anywhere else. I just love good food, man and good movies and books.”
And what about Bangalore, where do you like to hang out here, we quickly add...
“Well, after tonight, definitely Empire. I was amazed at the impromptu photoshoot that just happened upstairs, clearly Bangaloreans love cinema and are really well-behaved and warm towards celebs — it was really nice. I’m happy they let me eat. I also, like this place I visited on a previous visit — a lovely restaurant called Sunny’s,” answers the actor.
Crowds have noticed the presence of a star and we know we’ll be mobbed soon, so we throw in our last question — what plans after the concert?
“Well, I am here after a long time and have to catch up with a lot of friends, who are also here for the concert. If my schedule permits I will also relax for a while at my farmhouse in Devanahalli, that isn’t much of a farmhouse anymore,” concludes Rana and turns to face his fans.
