Rana Daggubati, Anirudh Ravichander go ‘Loca’ for tequila

‘Welcome to the Republic of Loca Loka’ reads the welcome message on the website of newly-launched tequila brand, Loca Loka. The line sounds like something out of Tamil filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Lokiverse. And you’d be forgiven to think that there is something ‘filmy’ about it considering the brand has actor and producer Rana Daggubati and music composer Anirudh Ravichander as partners, along with Harsha Vadlamudi, entrepreneur and MD of brewery chain, Ironhill India.

Launched on 24 July, the tequila brand, an amalgam of Mexican and Sanskrit words that mean Crazy World, is close to a month old. And it's this excitement of bringing a new product out into the world—a tequila, no less—that comes through as I interview the three partners over a video call. Among casual banter punctuated with laughter, the trio talk about their entrepreneurial journey, their decision to launch the brand in the US first, and their favourite way to have tequila. Edited excerpts:

Q. For a new brand, it's rather ambitious that you are launching Loca Loka in the US first. Why?

Rana Daggubati: We want to compete with the entire world. Now, how much would we have been able to accomplish if we’d just launched here? Also, with tequila being prevalent globally, we think going through a mature market like the US will offer a young brand like ours a greater learning curve than anything else will.

Harsha Vadlamudi: There are a couple of practical considerations too. For one, there’s the GI tag issue where a spirit made from agave can only be called tequila if it’s made in Mexico. Also,when you consider logistics, it takes only two weeks to transport the manufactured product from Mexico to the US while it’d take around two months to transport it to India.

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Q. What do you enjoy most about being an entrepreneur? What have been some interesting lessons from this entire experience?

Rana Daggubati: What I enjoy most is the opportunity to be a part of different industries that I am passionate about and shape cultural trends. It allows me to channel my skills into new ventures beyond the screen and create something from scratch, much like developing a character. I have seen how alcohol has transitioned from a taboo to a staple of popular culture. When Harsha presented the opportunity to build a global brand, I was immediately in. The fusion of Mexican and Indian cultures—both rich with ancient celebrations—has been thrilling. It’s been a fun challenge to merge these cultures into something unique.

Anirudh Ravichander: When Harsha came up with this whole idea, and of course Rana, I joined late. I’ve observed a notable surge in tequila’s popularity within my social circle, so, I thought this was a perfect entrepreneurial start. Personally, it taught me how to honour tradition while pushing creative boundaries.

Harsha Vadlamudi: What I enjoy most about being an entrepreneur is the opportunity to bring visionary ideas to life. It’s exhilarating for me to see a concept evolve from an idea into a tangible product that people can access globally. I believe when the right people come together with the right intention, things will fall into place.

Q. Who among the three of you is the practical mind when it comes to making decisions? And who is the creative one?

Harsha Vadlamudi: Among the three of us, Rana is the creative mind. Anirudh and Rana collaborated on the branding and their vision aligned perfectly. The entire process involved coming up with 4-5 iterations of names. I found it rather rigorous. I think the number game is a lot easier than the creative game. Rana and I have focused on product development where we have combined both our experiences to come up with a global product line.

Rana Daggubati: It has been a good year-and-a-half in terms of putting the idea of Loca Loka together. We are all storytellers in a way and this is our labour of love. I would say Harsha is the numbers guy. He owns some of the best restaurants and breweries in Hyderabad and knows the business in and out. Collaborating with him to get the product just right has been an insightful experience. Anirudh is one of the coolest musicians I know, and he brought a lot of energy as well as insight into the creation.

Anirudh Ravichander: All of us come from different worlds of fusion and we wanted to create something celebratory and fun. We’re integrating the brand with a concert tour across multiple cities in the US after the launch. It has been very stimulating creatively for me because I get to elevate the brand through music, either by creating specific pieces for it or incorporating it into my US tours.

Q. Let's talk about food. What are the Mexican dishes that you like. And since you are travelling to Mexico now, what are you looking forward to trying?

Anirudh Ravichander: The burrito bowl is my favourite Mexican dish. The thought of savouring a true, traditional burrito bowl in its homeland is something I'm really excited about!

Rana Daggubati: Enchiladas and burritos are some of my favourite Mexican dishes.

Q. In India and internationally, what are some of your favourite bars?

Rana Daggubati: The Roger Room in LA, Harvard and Stone in LA, Bastian in Mumbai and (ofcourse) Ironhill India, Bengaluru.

Q. As a shot or a cocktail, how do the three of you enjoy your tequila?

Harsha Vadlamudi: I like having my tequila with some sparkling water like Perrier added to it.

Rana Daggubati: I enjoy my tequila with lots of ice and some lime.

Anirudh Ravichander: Based on how we drink it here, I had this idea that you first have a pinch of salt, down the shot, and then suck on a lemon wedge. I’ve since learnt that it’s not the right way. I now prefer to have it as a neat shot.

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