Exclusive! Rana Naidu actor Gaurav Chopra: This was the most challenging project of my life

Gaurav Chopra, who has a pivotal role in the web series Rana Naidu that stars Telugu superstars Venkatesh Daggubati and Rana Daggubati, says that he was at his worst and emotionally broken while shooting for the show.

Starting his career with modelling, Gaurav gained popularity with television shows like Saara Akaash, Aisa Des Hai Mera, Uttaran, Adaalat, and Sadda Haq. He was also a participant in dance reality shows and Bigg Boss 10.

Being in the business for quite a long time and having acted in various projects, Gaurav says that he looks for new challenges in every project. However, the challenges that he faced during the shooting of Rana Naidu were something else.

Gaurav told OTTplay, "I was not in the best phase of my life during the shooting of Rana Naidu, since I had lost both my parents in a span of two years. It was the darkest and emotionally lowest phase of my life. Due to my strong screen presence, people tend to think I am a strong guy, which I am, to an extent. But while shooting for the show, the biggest challenge was to just be myself, because I was feeling like I was at the bottom of the pit."

He went on to add, "However, I couldn't afford to look bad, unfit, or low onscreen. I am an actor, so I had to deliver my best, no matter what was going on in my personal life. Considering the love the audience has given me over the years, it is not fair to burden the audience with my sorrow."

Gaurav believes that it is his looks and off-screen energy that have helped build his image as a strong man.  

"I think the image of an actor has a lot to do with the perception-building exercise that happens by the media, and, of course, the appearance of an actor. I was perceived in a certain way because of my onscreen presence, my voice, my physical appearance, and so on. People think that I look convincing in strong characters. And I know that it is also my strength as an actor and performer. Now that I have come out of the worst phase of my life, I can promise my fans that in all my upcoming projects, I will surprise them with different characters and a variety of roles," shared the actor.

Rana Naidu is directed by Karan Anshuman and Suparn Verma, and it also stars Surveen Chawla, Suchitra Pillai, Sushant Singh, Ashish Vidyarthi, Priya Banerjee, and Rajesh Jais. It is available to stream on Netflix.