Rana Daggubati Talks About Sharing His Eye Condition with the World

Actor Rana Daggubati is well known for his acting skills and his physical transformation for the role of antagonist Bhallaldeva in the blockbuster franchise Baahubali. However, in 2016, he shared a personal story that grabbed the attention of both fans and the media. The actor revealed that he suffers from partial blindness in his right eye due to a corneal transplant he underwent as a child.

Recently, in an interview with The Bombay Journey, Rana opened up about why he felt the need to share his story with the world. He shared that during a chat show in 2016, a young boy in the audience had shared about his mother losing an eye, which made Rana speak about his own eye condition. “I think I am one of the few guys who spoke about corneal transplant. It was also because there was a kid whose mom had lost her eye and he was very sad in terms of what it is. And I told him it’s not what it is. Everything has a way of it, and that’s when I just told  about my eye. I can’t see from my right eye, so I operate in a different view,” Rana said.

Rana has also faced other health issues while growing up, including a kidney transplant. However, he remains positive and inspiring, saying, “Many people can get broken because of a physical problem, and even if it gets fixed, there is a certain heaviness that will still be there. I had a corneal transplant, and I had a kidney transplant, so it’s like I am almost the Terminator. (laughs) So, I was like, ‘come on, I am still surviving, and you just have to keep going’.”

Apart from his personal journey to stardom, Rana’s physical transformation for Baahubali is one of the most talked-about aspects of his life. However, the actor also shared how challenging it was to lose weight for his next role as politician N Chandrababu Naidu in the Telugu film NTR: Mahanayakudu. “With Baahubali, I was just so full. So, I am trying to play somebody who is lean. So, I completely depleted myself of protein. I went vegetarian for a really long time, stopped going to the gym, and stopped doing cardio. I was able to knock off a good 20-28 kgs of size muscle, and it was fine for the role, but it was pretty messed up doing that to you for health, and you have problems and all that, but you realize this is your job,” shared the actor, who was recently seen in the series Rana Naidu.

Rana’s story is one of perseverance and positivity in the face of adversity, and it continues to inspire many.