. says Rana Daggubati, when asked about his relationship status with the Bollywood hottie He may look more like a gangster than a Bollywood glamour boy, but actor Rana Daggubati admits that it's his looks that seem to be getting him roles with shades of grey.

"I'm not a very dark person in real life, but all I'm getting these days are cop and gangster roles. I guess it's just the way I look," laughs Rana.

The Telugu star rang in his 27th on December 14 with the muhurat of his latest Tollywood film, Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum , directed by Krish. "It was a working birthday this time and the film's muhurat happened to coincide with that day.

And I managed to spend some time with my family too," he says. Ask him whether he is working with Anushka in the film, and Rana says, "The filmmakers are still looking for a newcomer who can fit the bill.

Anushka was never discussed for the role." At the moment, it is Rana's Tamil film debut Vada Chennai with Simbu that is keeping him busy.

Ask him why he took so long to make his Kollywood debut and he says, "I had been hoping to do a Tamil film for some time and in the meantime, Department happened. There was a bit of a wait and finally the right script found me.

" The buzz is that he has a cameo in Vada Chennai that is being directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Vetri Maran. "You could call it whatever you want, but it is a strong supporting role, narrated in a Shakespearean style.

It doesn't matter whether the role is small or big," he says, adding that the film will also be dubbed in Telugu. So, how does he manage to juggle work in three industries? "It's quite challenging to switch between characters.

For instance, Naa Ishtam is a romcom in which I play a loud character; and when I was on the sets of Department, I had to change my body language, which was challenging," he says. Rana's love life has come under a lot of speculation, mainly because of his relationship with Bipasha Basu , but the actor prefers to dish out the just-friends cliche.

"Bipasha is a very sweet and nice person. I haven't figured out how to respond to these questions," he says, adding, "Bipasha, Rohan (Sippy) and the Dum Maaro Dum team are my only friends in Mumbai.

They're like my family in B-town." (less)