Actor Rana Daggubati is set to make his comeback to the silver screen with his much-awaited film Haathi Mere Saathi. Directed by Prabhu Solomon, the film presents him in a role quite different from his onscreen persona, and this is what makes it special for the actor. In Daggubati’s words, his character of Bandev is somebody who is “beyond us”.

Talking about why he took up Haathi Mere Saathi, the Baahubali star said, “With every such film, you explore a new world. It teaches you a lot and you grow as an actor. Also, even the audience gets entertained by such concepts. So, I had no other option but to experiment.”

In the movie, Daggubati plays a man named Bandev who has grown up in the jungle and considers elephants as his family. The trailer of the film, which released on Thursday, shows how Bandev is ready to go to any extent to keep the jungle and its elephants safe. Director Prabhu Solomon feels Bandev is close to Tarzan.

Though initially, Daggubati had difficulty in understanding his character, he also believes, “Bandev is the noblest character I have played till date, a character you want to exist in the society.” The 36-year-old actor spent a whole year in the jungle to understand nature, the character and the animals. He said the experience of shooting for the film “changed me as a human being forever. We spent a year in the forest and it changed our understanding of wildlife.”

For Daggubati working with elephants was a learning experience. He said, “For me, elephants were the wisest co-actors. I learned from them a lot more than I learned from my other co-stars.”

The actor, who has worked in films like Ghazi and Baahubali, also shared his thoughts on OTT vs theatrical releases. He said that while the year 2020 has changed people’s viewing experience and preferences, still there are films that deserve viewing on the big screen. But he agrees that the two medium will continue to stay and flourish together.

On a concluding note, when quizzed if his wife Miheeka contributes to his decision of working on a film or takes interest in his projects, the actor laughed and said, “No, she’s figuring out what I do for a living.”

Apart from Haathi Mere Saathi, Rana Daggubati will also be seen in Virata Parvam. The film, directed by Venu Udugula, also stars Sai Pallavi in the lead role and is scheduled for April 30 release.