Loca Loka Lands in India: Rana Daggubati, Anirudh & Harsha on Culture, Craft and the Rise of Celebrity Spirits

Launch and Promotion of New Celebrity Alcohol Beverages in India

In the past, very few film industry stars had begun working on premium brands of alcohol; however, in recent years, there has been significant growth in the number of film industry celebrities who are developing and marketing premium alcoholic beverages.

Moreover, there is a rapidly growing sector of spirits producers owned and operated by celebrities and filmmakers, including many types of spirits, such as Whisky, Gin, and Vodka. Notable examples are Ajay Devgn's Whisky and Sanjay Dutt's range of Vodkas and Gins. As the Spirits industry has been expanding rapidly, this space is filled with excellent opportunities for entrepreneurs due to the cultural affiliations, storytelling, and lifestyle, which these unique Spirits incorporate.

Baahubali fame actor, Rana Daggubati, previously known to our readers as one of the first individuals to tap into the tequila space through the brand Loca Loka, has now ushered in the most exciting next phase for the company with the launch of the product into India.

Having established Loca Loka as a brand in many of the top-tier and competitive global marketplaces, the team has now decided to bring the India-Mexico style craft tequila to the Indian market as there has been a significant shift in consumer behaviour towards the premiumisation of craft spirits, the growth of cocktail culture and, a trend-driven interest for 'provably authentic' spirits. Co-founders Rana Daggubati, Anirudh Ravichander and CEO Sree Harsha Vadlamudi, during an exclusive interview with Entrepreneur India, provide insights into the reasons why India represents the next logical move for the brand, how they have successfully created a global-first brand, and what this latest expansion means for both the category and the cultural environment in which it resides.

Why Rana Chose to Co-found Loca Loka And Not Just Endorse It?

Rana is very clear that this wasn't another celebrity endorsement and he laughs at the thought of it even being put in that category. "Yes, I have invested in other brands before but this is the first time I am taking up the mantle of the 'co-founder'. This is a brand with potential for strong storytelling with cultural depth, global scalability, and long-term value creation. Loca Loka checked every box. I have known Harsha for a long time and collaborated with him on other projects in the past. When we agreed on this idea, he went back to the drawing board and did the research and presented the plan with ideas, potential and numbers to back it up. I was sold on it. He was not just pitching a product; he was pitching a world. I came in to shape the brand strategy, consumer narrative, experience architecture, and cultural positioning. This wasn't an endorsement but an opportunity to step in to flex my entrepreneurship skills."

Where Mexico Meets India

One of Loca Loka's strongest cultural pillars is its India–Mexico fusion, a positioning that could easily slip into gimmick territory, but Rana ensured it didn't. "Both cultures celebrate with heart that includes color, rhythm and ritual. Our job was to tell a story that honored Mexico's agave traditions while weaving in India's celebratory soul without it feeling forced. And judging by the response across the U.S. and Southeast Asia. I think we've been hitting the right notes."

The Film Lesson Behind Loca Loka

Rana draws surprising parallels between filmmaking and building a premium spirits brand. "In cinema, you learn quickly that emotion outperforms scale… A blockbuster isn't defined by budget but by connection. A brand, like a film, succeeds when people feel they're stepping into something larger than the product." His conviction in storytelling is absolute. "Storytelling is everything."

"Consumers are spoilt for choice with every possible option available to them but they are not buying products. They're buying identity, aspiration, and alignment. A strong story becomes your moat: it builds loyalty, drives discovery, and gives your community a narrative to participate in. For lifestyle brands, storytelling is the difference between being consumed and being remembered. With Loca Loka, our narrative sits on cultural exchange, joy, and modern craft. That clarity guides our design, communication, partnerships, and experiences. A bottle can be copied; a story cannot. That's why we treat storytelling as our core IP", he adds.

Anirudh Ravichander: Building the Sound of a Spirit

For Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan fame music director Anirudh Ravichander, joining Loca Loka was not about diversification, it was about expanding the idea of creativity itself. "Music has taken me to global stages, but entrepreneurship taps a very different creative muscle," he says. What drew him wasn't tequila alone, but culture. "This venture is an extension of creativity… one where the product must hit as cleanly as a perfectly produced track."

If Loca Loka had a sound? He smiles: "Loca Loka would sound like a global playlist with no borders… high-energy, rhythm-driven, rooted in tradition. A vibe you don't just hear, you feel." His producer instincts carried all the way to the distillery. "In the studio, I obsess over micro-details… At the distillery, I found myself doing the same."

And then comes the line no one expects: "In fact, the first batch that is being introduced in India has literally danced to songs created by me… So, while the yeast literally 'danced' to my tunes, I am sure the team also shook a leg to the music."

Harsha Vadlamudi: The Strategist Behind the World of Loca Loka

If Rana and Anirudh gave Loca Loka cultural depth, Harsha gave it structure. For him, the India launch represents a climactic moment in a shifting global spirits map. "India is finally entering its premiumisation decade… tequila is the fastest-growing category worldwide, driven by craft, authenticity, and cross-cultural storytelling."

Harsha mentions that launching globally before entering India was a deliberate strategy. "We approached Loca Loka like a category-creation startup… Winning in the U.S. gave us product validation, retail confidence, and early traction." He is also pragmatic about what it takes to scale a tequila brand: "Tequila isn't a fast-turn business but more of a long-horizon, asset-heavy category… Great tequila needs patience. Great tequila brands need strategy."

The Homecoming

Despite the awards abroad, Rana is clear that the emotional center of Loca Loka is India. "We proved ourselves in some of the toughest most competitive spirits markets in the world… All this validated our belief in the quality of our products." But then he adds: "But more than that…for us India is personal. It's a place where stories matter as much as taste, where celebrations are intentional, and where people want to know the "why" behind what they're drinking. That's why Loca Loka fits so naturally here. And its home."

Rana Daggubati's Upcoming Projects

On the film front, a few days ago, Rana Daggubati's Spirit Media has announced Hindi adaptation of Booker winner Aravind Adiga's acclaimed novel Last Man in Tower, starring Manoj Bajpayee. The film will be directed by Ben Rekhi.