They Kidnapped Me: Rana Daggubati REVEALS Story Of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Cameo; Ranbir Kapoor, Ayan Mukerji's Plan

Real story behind Rana Daggubati's unplanned cameo in Ayan Mukerji's Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani with Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone

Actor Rana Daggubati has shared a hilarious behind-the-scenes story about his brief appearance in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, revealing that his friendship with Ranbir Kapoor and director Ayan Mukerji led to an impromptu cameo. Speaking at IFP at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai, Rana recalled how the duo turned up at his hotel room while he was shooting for another film and persuaded him to join them for a late-night shoot. The actor jokingly described the experience as being "kidnapped", adding that he barely remembers filming the scene before returning to another set the following morning.

Rana Daggubati spills the beans on his cameo

Rana said his friendship with Ranbir and Ayan was the biggest reason why he agreed to do the romantic drama back in 2013. According to him, another major star was originally approached for the role, but turned it down. Rana remembered the strange incident when Ranbir and Ayan came to visit him in his hotel room when he was staying at the Taj Lands End and working on another film. The pair of friends then insisted he join them for a shoot that very night.

"I am friends with Ranbir and Ayan. Some big star was supposed to play that, and that star said no. So these guys came to my hotel room where I was staying and shooting for some other film. They just kidnapped me and said you have to come to Udaipur tonight with us. They took me on the flight and shot that scene with me and came back," Rana shared.

Rana recalled that the cameo was a spur-of-the-moment appearance, not a big commitment. He recalled going to the location for the shoot, shooting the scene at night and then coming back in the morning to continue working on another project. The actor also confessed that he doesn't see cameos as the same thing as fully fledged film roles. Sorry, I just don't understand that sort of thing. That's as much as I can remember about cameos.

"So I vaguely remember something happened in the night. I shot something and I was back in the morning to another set. So I was like, something has happened," he laughed. "That's as much as I remember about the cameo."

Rana Daggubati in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Deepika Padukone played Naina in the 2013 film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, while Ranbir Kapoor played Bunny. The movie was directed by Ayan Mukerji and also had Aditya Roy Kapur (Avi) and Kalki Koechlin (Aditi) in pivotal roles. Its story followed four friends as they dealt with relationships, ambition, travel and changing priorities.

Rana briefly appears for a scene that lasted barely a few minutes. He plays a guy Naina meets at Aditi's wedding. As he tries to flirt with her, Bunny comes and drags him out of the scene. His cameo continues to remain one of the biggest surprises of the movie.