4 Feb – Indian actor Rana Daggubati, the antagonist for the hit Tamil movie, "Baahubali: The Beginning" was in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to launch a new fitness centre in the city. The 31-year-old actor, graced the opening of Country Club FTX located at Patent House, Bukit Bintang on behalf of the Country Club Group which is based in India. Demonstrating a 45-minute training exercise which the club specialises in over 25 outlets worldwide, the actor who is prominent with his built physique said, "I'm glad to be here in Malaysia to witness the launch of this fitness centre, as well as to share my workout demonstration with all of you. Maintaining my body figure is part of my job."
Also at the launch was the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Datuk M. Saravanan, Chairman and Managing Director of the Country Club Group, Y. Rajeev Reddy and his son, Y. Varun Reddy who is the Chief Operating Officer of the Country Club Group who revealed that he went to school with Rana Daggubati. On the much anticipated sequel of his Indian epic film, Daggubati said that he will be reprising his role as Bhallala Deva/Palavaalthevan in "Baahubali: The Conclusion" that will be shooting sometime this year.
Released in four versions in 2015 (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi) "Baahubali: The Beginning" was praised for its use of grand visual effects and storyline, and was extensively featured on several international entertainment outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and The Guardian. On the first day of its release, the film made USD8.8 million worldwide and at the end of its run had made USD88 million at the worldwide box office. In Malaysia alone the film had grossed RM663,869.