Jump to content

S. S. Rajamouli

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

S. S. Rajamouli
Rajamouli in September 2021
Born
Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli

(1973-10-10) 10 October 1973 (age 51)
Hire Kotnekal, Mysore State, India
Other namesJakkanna, Raja, Nandi
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Works
Spouse
​
(m. 2001)​
Children2
FatherV. Vijayendra Prasad
RelativesM. M. Keeravani (cousin)
Kalyani Malik (cousin)
M. M. Srilekha (cousin)
Raja Koduri (cousin)
FamilySee Koduri family
AwardsFull list
HonoursPadma Shri (2016)[1]

Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli (/ˈrɑːdʒəmaʊlɪ/ RAH-juh-mow-li; born 10 October 1973) is an Indian filmmaker who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his epic, action and fantasy genre films. He is the highest grossing Indian director of all time,[2] as well as the highest-paid director in Indian cinema.[3] He is a recipient of various national and international honours including a New York Film Critics Circle award,[4] a Critics' Choice Movie Award,[5] two Saturn Awards, five Filmfare Awards, and four National Film Awards. In 2016, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, for his contributions in the field of art. In 2023, he was included on the Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.[6]

Rajamouli has been described by film trade analyst Komal Nahta as "the biggest Indian film director ever".[7] Rachel Dwyer, professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, called him "India's most significant director today".[8] He has directed twelve feature films so far, and all of them have been successful at the box office.[7][9] Three of his films—Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), and RRR (2022)—are among the top ten highest grossing-films in India to date. All three films were also the most expensive Indian films ever made at the time of their release. Baahubali 2 is currently the highest grossing film in India, and sold over 10 crore (100 million) tickets during its box office run; the highest estimated admissions for any film in India since Sholay (1975).[10][11]

The 2009 fantasy action film, Magadheera was the highest-grossing Telugu film ever at the time of its release.[12][13] Eega (2012) won nine awards at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, including the Most Original Film. Baahubali films have received six Saturn Award nominations with Baahubali 2 winning the Best International Film. RRR received various international accolades including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the song "Naatu Naatu", and a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Rajamouli's films are typically characterized by their epic grandeur, stylized action sequences, unbridled heroism and larger-than-life characters with historical and mythological references. His films have been noted for their integration of CGI with practical effects. With his Baahubali films, he has pioneered the pan-Indian film movement.[14] He is also credited for expanding the market of Telugu cinema and South Indian cinema into North India and international markets.[15]

Early life

[edit]

Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli was born on 10 October 1973 in a Telugu family[16] to V. Vijayendra Prasad and Raja Nandini.[17][18] His parents were staying in Hire Kotnekal in Raichur district of Mysore state (present-day Karnataka) at the time of his birth.[19] Both his parents hail from Andhra Pradesh — his father from Kovvur near Rajahmundry and his mother from Visakhapatnam.[20][21][22]

Rajamouli's mother belonged to Kapu caste and his father is a Kamma.[23][24] His parents met in Vizag and later had an inter-caste love marriage. Vijayendra Prasad is opposed to the caste system and dropped the initial 'K' from his name, as he felt it was an indicator of his caste.[25][23]

Rajamouli's parents are ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. He was born after his mother had a dream when she visited the pilgrimage site of Srisailam. Hence, he was named Srisaila Sri Rajamouli.[26] He has one elder sister who now lives in Australia.[27][28] Rajamouli grew up in a joint family — his father and his five brothers lived in the same house with their families.[29][30][31] Prasad's family had lands in Kovvur, which were lost when the railways lines were laid through them.[32] Then, Prasad and his family moved to Karnataka from Kovvur in 1968. Prasad, along with his elder brother K. V. Sivashankar, bought seven acres of paddy fields in Hirekotikal village near Manvi in Raichur district. Their family moved back to Kovvur in 1977.[33][34]

Rajamouli was educated in Kovvur till fourth standard and then shifted to Eluru where he studied till Intermediate first year. He then took a break of two years and finished his Intermediate second year in Kovvur. After that, he did not pursue any further formal education.[35]

Rajamouli was passionate about storytelling right from his second standard.[36] When he was seven years old, his grandmother introduced him to the epics Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavata.[29] At the same age, his father introduced him to Amar Chitra Katha comics that featured stories on Indian historical figures, religious legends and folktales. It had a huge impact on him and developed his penchant for larger-than-life characters.[37][29] He would remember those stories and the films he watched and then re-tell them to his friends in his own way.[37][36][26] His mother was keen on him learning English and would take him to watch English-language films in the nearby towns. She encouraged him to read comics and storybooks in his free time and never pressured him in academics.[29][38] His father recollecting about Rajamouli's childhood noted, "he was not an ambitious child. For a long time, we did not know what interested him. He showed some inclination towards films. He played the role of young Krishna in a film I directed."[39]

Rajamouli's paternal grandfather was a wealthy landlord who owned 360 acres of land. By the time Rajamouli was 10 or 11 years old, they lost much of their wealth.[40][41][42] As his father Vijayendra Prasad and uncle Siva Shakthi Datta were passionate about filmmaking, they sold most of their remaining assets and shifted to Madras to make films. They started many films that went unfinished. They faced financial losses and started working as ghostwriters to make ends meet.[43][27][44] Thirteen members of his extended family started living in a two-room apartment in Madras. Rajamouli recollects his family sitting together and making fun of themselves and their condition at the time, but they were never sad about it.[40][41]

Later Prasad established himself as a screenwriter with films like Bobbili Simham (1994) and Gharana Bullodu (1995).[32][45] Wanting to make another film, his father then co-produced (along with Katragadda Prasad) and directed a film called Ardhangi (1996) with his life savings.[27][46][35][47] Rajamouli recalls about that film:

I was very actively involved in the project as an associate director. I felt that film was my child, even though I didn't direct the film. It was a miserable failure. My family went into a debt trap. It took us years to pick up and put the pieces together. All of that strongly stayed in my mind. That was a very low period for me. I then decided to never take anything for granted. It imbibed in me the work ethic to make everything perfect and interesting for the audience, no matter how small or unimportant that scene or shot might be. That lowest phase of my life taught me how I should work later on in my career.[44][35][46][47]

Career

[edit]

Early work

[edit]

Rajamouli started his film career as an apprentice to the veteran film editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao and worked with him for six months.[48][27] Rajamouli recollects, "Even in my early 20s, I didn't know how to plan for my future. My father would constantly scold me for doing nothing. I joined films just to get away from his nagging. Slowly, I found my love for direction."[39] He worked at AVM recording theatre in Chennai for a few days. He also worked as an assistant director to Kranthi Kumar for some time.[49][50] Then, he assisted his father Vijayendra Prasad for six years.[35] He started writing for films but was always disappointed by the execution of his stories by other directors. His frustration as a writer motivated him to become a director so that he can bring out his vision as a writer perfectly onto the screen.[51]

He then shifted to Hyderabad from Chennai and worked with his relative, Gunnam Gangaraju, from whom he learnt about the practical aspect of filmmaking.[35][27][52] Later under the supervision of K. Raghavendra Rao, he directed social message-oriented commercials. He also directed a few advertisements for the Telugu Desam Party.[27][52] He then worked for one and a half years as the director of the Telugu TV serial, Santhi Nivasam, along with Vara Mullapudi, which was produced by Raghavendra Rao. It aired on ETV.[27][52] In an interview in 2005, Rajamouli called it the most arduous period in his life as he used to work for 17 hours a day.[35] He recalled:

"My main aim while working in television was to get Mr Rao's approval. During my TV days, I didn't have much of an idea of what I was making. The good thing was that I was a hard worker, and I earned the nickname work devil."[42]

2001–2008: Film debut and breakthrough

[edit]

In 2001, Raghavendra Rao offered Rajamouli the chance to direct a feature film for his production house titled, Student No: 1, which the latter accepted.[27] Raghavendra Rao provided the screenplay in addition to supervising the direction. Rajamouli later regretted not working for a longer time as an assistant director. "When I made my first film Student No: 1, I didn't know how to use a crane because I never used a crane while I was doing my TV serial."[53][54] Student No:1 was a coming of age romantic action film and was the second film of Jr. NTR in a lead role. Rajamouli would go onto collaborate with Jr. NTR in three more films. Released on 27 September 2001, the film marked the official debut of SS Rajamouli as a director; the film went on to become a critical and commercial success, and was Jr. NTR's first successful film.[55]

Rajamouli's second film was Simhadri (2003), again with Jr. NTR. After his first film, he realised that the kind of films he wanted to make had more drama and action, and so he made Simhadri, an action film.[52] It marked Rajamouli's first collaboration with his father Vijayendra Prasad who provided the story. Simhadri was also the first film penned by Rajamouli. The film emerged as a blockbuster and became one of the highest grossing Telugu films ever at the time.[56]

In the two-year gap between Student No.1 and Simhadri, Rajamouli planned his first mythological film with Malayalam actor Mohanlal, but the film eventually got shelved.[57] In 2015, Assistant art director Manu Jagath, who later worked as the art director for Baahubali, released several sketches he had drawn for the shelved Mohanlal project.[58] During the same period he was also supposed to direct a fantasy film with Prakash Kovelamudi as the lead but the film was shelved due to financial reasons.[35][27][32]

Rajamouli's third film was Sye (2004), starring Nithin and Genelia. He recalls, "I got plenty of offers after the success of Simhadri. But I deliberately made a decision not to make an emotionally charged mass film like Simhadri immediately. I don't want to get branded as mass director. Hence I did Sye, which is radically different compared to Simhadri."[35] It was a first-of-its-kind film in Telugu cinema, in that it was based on the sport of Rugby. This film was also the first instance where Rajamouli collaborated with K. K. Senthil Kumar who would eventually work with him on seven more films.[59] Sye was commercially successful and won four Nandi Awards. Sye made a huge impact on the Telugu popular culture through its popularisation of Rugby to the masses.[60]

His next venture was Chatrapathi (2005), an action drama set in Vizag dealing with the plight of refugees. Chatrapathi starred Prabhas in the lead role with music composed by M. M. Keeravani and cinematography by Senthil Kumar. It was Rajamouli's fourth consecutive hit and became one of the highest grossing Telugu films of the year.[61]

In his next project Vikramarkudu (2006), Rajamouli worked with Ravi Teja and Anushka Shetty. Rajamouli was attacked during the shooting of the film near Nanakramguda in Hyderabad. He suffered a hairline fracture on his hand and was admitted into a nearby Apollo hospital.[62][63] Vikramarkudu was a breakthrough film for Anushka Shetty. The film was screened at the International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section.[64] The film was a big success and was remade into several Indian languages including Kannada as Veera Madakari (2009), Tamil as Siruthai (2011), and Hindi as Rowdy Rathore (2012).[65]

He then directed Yamadonga (2007), a fantasy action comedy film starring Jr NTR, Priyamani, Mohan Babu, and Mamata Mohandas. The plot follows Raja, a thief who is killed by his rivals. Raja's soul travels to Naraka (hell) to face the trial for his sins by Yama, the Hindu god of death and justice. The film was successful at the box-office and became one of the highest grossing Telugu films ever at the time.[56][66]

Rajamouli started his own production company Visvamithra Creations named after the ancient Indian sage Visvamitra. Prabhas acted as Visvamitra for the logo shoot of the company.[67] Yamadonga was produced under the Visvamithra Creations banner but the producers were Cherry and Urmila Gunnam with Rama Rajamouli presenting the film.[68]

2009–2014: Critical acclaim and recognition

[edit]

Rajamouli's next venture was the fantasy-action film Magadheera (2009), starring Ram Charan and Kajal Aggarwal. Made on a budget of ₹35–44 crore (US$7–10 million), it was the most expensive Telugu film at the time.[a] It was the first Telugu film to list a "visual effects producer" in its credits. Magadheera became one of the biggest commercial successes in Telugu cinema and was the highest-grossing Telugu film at the end of its theatrical run.[12][13] For Magadheera, Rajamouli won the Nandi Award for Best Director and Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu. The film also won the National Award for Best Choreography and Best Special Effects at the 57th National Film Awards and a total of six Filmfare Awards South and nine Nandi Awards.[72] The film's success catapulted both the leads into stardom.

Magadheera was dubbed into Tamil as Maaveeran and into Malayalam as Dheera: The Warrior and was released on 27 May 2011.[73] Both the dubbed versions were successful and earned a good fan base for Ram Charan in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.[74] The Japanese-dubbed version of the film released in August 2018 and became one of the highest-grossing Indian films ever at the Japanese box office.[75][74]

In 2010 he directed the action comedy film Maryada Ramanna starring Sunil and Saloni. Rajamouli watched the 1923 silent comedy film Our Hospitality and liked it immensely. He wanted to re-tell the same story in his own way. He tried to contact the original creators but found out that the original writers of the film were long dead and that the film's copyright had expired as it had been over 75 years since the film's release. His cousin S. S. Kanchi and him then adapted that story with a Rayalaseema backdrop focusing on the factional violence and hospitality that co-existed in the region.[76][77] Regarding his decision to make a small film like Maryada Ramanna he remarked, "I decided that my next project would be Maryada Ramanna during Magadheera shooting itself because Magadheera is a one and half year project that demands lot of physical labour and mental strain. I didn't want to commit another physically exhausting film immediately after Magadheera."[78]

Maryada Ramanna opened to favourable reviews from critics. It became one of the highest grossing Telugu films of 2010.[79][80][81] It received four Nandi Awards, including Best Popular Feature Film. Maryada Ramanna was remade in Hindi as Son of Sardaar and into other languages like Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, and Malayalam.[78][82] In 2012 Rajamouli stated in an interview with Maa TV that Maryada Ramanna was his personal favourite among all the films he had directed.[83]

Sudeep, Nani, and Rajamouli on the sets of Eega

His next project was the fantasy action film Eega (2012). The film was produced by Sai Korrapati's Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram with an estimated budget of ₹30–40 crore (US$6–7 million). It was simultaneously filmed in Tamil language with the title Naan Ee (transl. I, the Fly). The film stars Nani, Samantha, and Sudeep.The idea of Eega originated in the mid-1990s in Vijayendra Prasad's mind. At that time, he was joking about a housefly seeking revenge on a human in a conversation with his son Rajamouli.[84] After completing Maryada Ramanna, Rajamouli reconsidered the concept after thinking of directing a film that was distinct from any other.[85] He explained it thus:

When I started making films, I stuck to formula films for a while which did well at the box office. After a while, I was getting too comfortable with what I was doing, so I wanted to experiment with something completely different. I wanted to take the audience by surprise and that is when I went back to the story I had heard 16 years ago.[86]

Upon release, the film received widespread critical acclaim including for Rajamouli's direction. It became one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time. The Tamil version Naan Ee and Malayalam version Eecha were also big hits at the box office.[87] The Hindi dubbed version Makkhi underperformed at the box office which Rajamouli attributed to a poor promotional strategy. But the satellite rights of Makkhi were sold at a price of ₹8 crore to Star Gold, by far the highest price ever paid for the Hindi dub of a Telugu film at the time.[88]

Eega was screened at various international film festivals including the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.[b] The Telugu version won nine awards, including Most Original Film at the 8th annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival.[89] Eega won two National Film Awards (Best Feature Film in Telugu and Best Special Effects) and five South Filmfare Awards including Best Telugu Film and Best Telugu Director. Speaking at an event, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur said regional cinema is surpassing Hindi cinema in content and story, and cited Eega as an example. Kapur said he was impressed with its story and use of technology, and called it "no less than a Hollywood superhero film".[90] Eega was listed among "The 25 Best Foreign Films of the Decade" by The Ringer.[91]

2015–present: Pan-India and international acclaim

[edit]
Rajamouli and Sabu Cyril on the set of Bahubali the Beginning

In 2015, he directed the epic action film Baahubali: The Beginning starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, and Tamanna.[92][93] The film was shot using Arri Alexa XT camera, marking Rajamouli's first film shot using a digital camera.[94][95] Rajamouli's work was lauded by The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian and The Huffington Post.[96][97] It became the second highest grossing Indian film of all time, and the highest grossing Indian film of all time within India.[98][99][100] Its Hindi dubbed version also broke several records. It was the first dubbed film to collect over 100 crore nett at the Hindi box office and became the highest-grossing dubbed film in Hindi of all time. It was screened at various international film festivals including the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.[c] The making of the film was featured in BBC's documentary on 100 Years of Indian cinema, directed by Sanjeev Bhaskar.[101][102][103]

Baahubali: The Beginning received several awards. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and became the first Telugu film to win the award. It also won the National Award for Best Special Effects. At the 63rd Filmfare Awards South, the Telugu version won five awards from ten nominations, including Best Film and Best Director award for Rajamouli. It became the first Indian film to be nominated for Saturn Awards, receiving five nominations at the 42nd ceremony, including Best Fantasy Film.[104]

In 2015, Rajamouli was named as the CNN-News18 Indian of the Year in Entertainment.[105] In 2016, he was honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour for his contributions towards the field of Art.[106]

Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Rajamouli, Karan Johar, Prabhas, Rana Daggubati at the trailer launch of the Hindi version of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion

His next project was Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), which served as both a sequel and a prequel to Baahubali: The Beginning.[107] The film was premiered at the British Film Institute.[108][109] It was made on an estimated budget of ₹250 crore ($37 million)[d] and was the most expensive Indian film ever made at the time. Baahubali 2 was released on 28 April 2017 and later dubbed into Hindi, Malayalam, Japanese, Russian and Chinese. Released in conventional 2D and IMAX formats, Baahubali 2 was the first Telugu film to also release in 4K High Definition format.

Grossing ₹1,810 crore worldwide ($267 million),[d] the film surpassed PK (2014) to briefly become the highest grossing Indian film of all time, collecting approximately ₹800 crore worldwide within just six days of its release. It became the first-ever Indian film to gross over ₹1,000 crore, doing so in just ten days. Within India, it set many film records, becoming the highest-grossing film in Hindi, as well as in its original Telugu language. It stands as the highest-grossing film in India,[111] the second highest-grossing Indian film worldwide and the 39th highest-grossing film of 2017. The film sold over 10 crore (100 million) tickets during its box office run, the highest estimated admissions for any film in India since Sholay (1975).[10][11] Baahubali 2 released to positive reviews from critics. It won the Saturn Award for Best International Film and three National Film Awards: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Special Effects and Best Stunt Choreographer.

The exceptional success of Baahubali films across different Indian languages, regions, and states kickstarted what has been termed the pan-Indian films movement where a film is simultaneously released in multiple Indian languages and is made to appeal to audiences across the country, cutting across the linguistic and cultural barriers.[112][113] Several filmmakers and film analysts have credited Rajamouli for almost single-handedly expanding the reach and market of South Indian cinema to Northern India and beyond.[112][114][115]

Rajamouli, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, Jr. NTR and DVV Danayya at the RRR Press Meet in Chennai

Rajamouli's subsequent film RRR (2022) is an epic action drama based on the lives of Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Made on a budget of est. ₹550 crore (US$72 million),[116] it is the most expensive Indian film ever made. The film stars NTR Jr, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, and Alia Bhatt.[117] RRR opened to positive reviews from critics with praise for the performances, particularly Rama Rao and Charan, and screenplay by Rajamouli.

With ₹240 crore (US$31 million) worldwide on its first day, RRR broke the record for the highest opening-day collection earned by an Indian film. RRR emerged as the highest-grossing film in its home market of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, grossing over ₹400 crore (US$52 million) and surpassing Rajamouli's previous film Baahubali 2. The film grossed 1,200 crore (US$175 million) worldwide, setting several box office records for an Indian film, including the second-highest-grossing film in India and the third-highest-grossing Indian film. RRR is nominated in three categories at the 47th Saturn Awards including a Best Director nomination for Rajamouli. It was also nominated in Best Action / Adventure Film and Best International Film categories.[118][119]

Upcoming projects

[edit]

Rajamouli is committed to collaborate with actor Mahesh Babu. The film, touted to be a jungle adventure set in Africa, is expected to begin its production in 2024.[120] While attending the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, he revealed more details about the project. "My next film with Mahesh Babu will be a globetrotting action adventure. It's going to be a kind of James Bond or Indiana Jones film with Indian roots."[121][122] In September 2022, he signed with the American talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in a move that has been described as a "coup for the agency".[123]

There were also reports of him planning an animated film rooted in Indian content.[124] In August 2022, he revealed that he was working on a couple of scripts that would be suitable to be made as animation films.[38]

Rajamouli frequently speaks about his intention to make a film based on the Indian epic Mahabharata in the future.[125][126] He thinks it will be at least a four-part project requiring a time period of six to ten years.[127][128][129] In May 2017 he noted, "I don't want to compromise in making it and the huge project is going to take 10 years perhaps. I am apprehensive as to whether I will be able to execute such a technically-superior project (in the immediate future)." He had also revealed that the film series may not feature established movie stars. "This is the kind of film that will not work out if I rope in stars. Once the different characters are designed, I would have to hunt for the right artists and mould them accordingly," he said.[125][130] In July 2022 he said, "Mahabharata has been my long, long, long dream project, but it will take a long time for me to step into that ocean. Before I step into Mahabharata I want to make, maybe, three or four films."[47] In May 2023, he said, "If I get to the point of making Mahabharata, it would take me a year just to read the versions of Mahabharata that are available in the country. At present, I can only assume that it would be a 10-part film."[131]

He also expressed his wish on several occasions to make films on the historical rulers Sri Krishnadevaraya, Rajaraja Narendra, Kakatiyas, Rani Abbakka.[132][133][134][135]

Personal life

[edit]

My personal opinions, my thoughts, and my lifestyle have nothing to do with my profession. I keep that completely separate. Professionally, I am different. I don't try to rub my thoughts on to my characters, or on to my storytelling.

 — Rajamouli on mythological themes in his films despite him being an agnostic.[136]

Rajamouli married Rama, sister-in-law of his cousin Keeravani in 2001.[27][52] After their marriage, Rama worked as a costume designer for many of Rajamouli's films. He adopted Karthikeya, Rama's son from her previous marriage. The couple also has an adopted daughter Mayookha.[137][138] Karthikeya is married to Pooja Prasad, niece of Telugu actor Jagapathi Babu.[139]

Rajamouli's cousin, M. M. Keeravani has worked as the music composer for all of his films. His other cousins Kalyani Malik and M. M. Srilekha are also music composers.[140][141][142] S. S. Kanchi, a screenwriter and actor known for his role in the sitcom Amrutham is also one of his cousins.[143][144] He collaborated with Rajamouli as a script doctor on many of his films and also acted in four of his films.[78][116] Raja Koduri, an Executive vice-president at Intel is also a cousin of his.[145] Rajamouli considers K. Raghavendra Rao as his guru and mentor.[146][147] He called Gunnam Gangaraju his philosopher and guide who made an impact on his worldview.[52][26]

Rajamouli is nicknamed Jakkanna after the legendary c.12th century sculptor Jakanachari (known in Telugu as Jakkanna) who is credited with building numerous temples during the Hoysala reign. The moniker was coined by actor Rajeev Kanakala during the making of the TV serial Santhi Nivasam (c. 2000) directed by Rajamouli and was in reference to his work ethic and perfectionism like the famed sculptor.[148][149]

Regarding his religious views, in a March 2022 interview, Rajamouli stated that "I don't believe in God or religion the way it is portrayed now. But if you ask me 'Do you believe in the existence of God?' I'd say 'I don't know'."[150] At Beyond Fest 2022 in Los Angeles, Rajamouli said that he is not a Hindu in the religious sense, but considering it as Dharma, he is 'very much' a Hindu. "I am a follower of Hindu dharma", he said.[151][152][153][154]

Filmmaking style

[edit]
Main article: Cinematic style of S. S. Rajamouli

A self confessed "film freak",[155] Rajamouli's penchant for filmmaking is best captured by the word "emotion". He often stated that his films are based on stories driven by human emotions.[156][157] Revenge is a recurring theme in his films.[158] Several of Rajamouli's films feature flashback episodes where the protagonist's backstory is revealed, typically in the second half of the film. This narrative style is used in Simhadri, Vikramarkudu, Magadheera, Baahubali: The Beginning, and RRR.[19]

I’m very loyal to my action sequences. I just won’t put them in for the sake of it. I believe that human endurance and physical capabilities are unimaginable when they are emotionally charged. There are things that real people have achieved that we can’t imagine, but they happen once in a lifetime … The only thing is they happen quite a number of times in my films.

 — Rajamouli on action sequences in his films.[159]

Describing his films as “big-scale action movies driven by hard-core emotion”,[160] Rajamouli considers himself to be a magnifying glass that enhances the various emotions of the characters on screen, and sees the presence of violent action as an integral factor that engages the viewer with on screen proceedings.[161][162] "For me, the character being emotionally charged up at that moment to go into that action sequence is very, very important," said Rajamouli about action sequences in his films.[163]

Rajamouli's films typically, are visual effects-heavy and he is one of the pioneering filmmakers in India in integrating computer-generated imagery (CGI) with live action. He mentions his preference for practical effects over CGI and likes to capture as much footage as possible in-camera.[163] Rajamouli's craft in CGI has improved with time. The CGI in the underwater shark-fighting sequence in Chatrapathi was considered ambitious, but choppy. The CGI sequences in Magadheera, Eega, Baahubali, and RRR are more polished with each film improving upon the previous one.[13]

While scaling up his work with "larger-than-life" themes over the years, Rajamouli maintained his signature style of filmmaking that allows audiences to simmer in the thrills and emotions of the story with less dialogue.[164][165] All his films end with a print of his trademark circular stamp stating: "an S. S. Rajamouli film".[166]

Film critic Baradwaj Rangan opined that Rajamouli is a "great storyteller" who takes up common concepts and develops them in a novel acceptable way.[167] Production designer Sabu Cyril, a four-time National Award winner for Best Art Direction and who worked for the Baahubali duology, said his team came up with as many as 25,000 sketches to design the various grand sets for the film in order to satisfy the rigorous visualisation standards of Rajamouli, which were grand and at the same time gone into very minute details ensuring that every pillar and wall had the right design. Cyril said, "Rajamouli makes no compromises."[168]

In 2022, Rajamouli participated in the British magazine Sight & Sound film polls of the year 2022. Held once every ten years, the magazine asks popular contemporary writers and directors to name their ten personal favourite films.[169] Rajamouli listed the following ten films in order: Forrest Gump (1994); Mayabazar (1957); Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); Kung Fu Panda (2008); Aladdin (1992); Braveheart (1995); Apocalypto (2007); Ben-Hur (1959); Django Unchained (2012) and The Lion King (1994).[170]

Filmography

[edit]
Main article: S. S. Rajamouli filmography
Directed feature films
Year Title Distributor
2001 Student No: 1 Swapna Cinema
2003 Simhadri
2004 Sye
2005 Chatrapathi Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra
2006 Vikramarkudu
2007 Yamadonga Visvamitra Creations
2009 Magadheera Geetha Arts
2010 Maryada Ramanna Arka Media Works
2012 Eega 14 Reels Entertainment / PVP Cinema
2015 Baahubali: The Beginning Arka Media Works
2017 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
2022 RRR DVV Entertainment

Box-office performance

[edit]

The budgets and box-office figures are all estimates collated from various sources like newspapers, magazines, reputed film portals etc. Wherever the estimates vary, a range of highest and lowest estimates is provided. All values in Indian Rupees (₹) are converted to US Dollars ($) based on the average yearly exchange rate data from World Bank.

S. S. Rajamouli box office performance statistics
Year Title Budget (est.) Box-office (est.) Ref.
Worldwide Share[e] Worldwide Gross
2001 Student No. 1 ₹1.80 crore ($392,000) ₹12.09 crore ($2.54 million) — [171][172]
2003 Simhadri ₹8.5 crore ($1.8 million) ₹25.7 crore ($5.6 million) — [171][172]
2004 Sye ₹10.2 crore ($2.2 million) ₹11 crore ($2.4 million) — [172]
2005 Chatrapathi ₹12.5 crore ($2.8 million) ₹22 crore ($5 million) — [171][172][173]
2006 Vikramarkudu ₹11 crore ($2.4 million) ₹23 crore ($5.1 million) — [174][175][173]
2007 Yamadonga ₹18–20 crore ($4.3–4.8 million) ₹29 crore ($7 million) — [171][176][173]
2009 Magadheera ₹35–44 crore ($7–10 million)[a] ₹73–78 crore ($15–16 million) ₹150 crore ($31 million) [171][173][177]
2010 Maryada Ramanna ₹12–14 crore ($2.6–3.1 million) ₹29 crore ($6.35 million) ₹40 crore ($8.75 million) [171][173][81][178]
2012 Eega ₹30–40 crore ($6–7 million)[f] ₹54 crore ($10 million) ₹130 crore ($23 million) [182]
2015 Baahubali: The Beginning ₹180 crore ($28 million) ₹302 crore ($47 million) ₹650 crore ($101 million) [183][184][173]
2017 Baahubali 2: The Conclusion ₹250 crore ($38 million) ₹831 crore ($128 million)[g] ₹1,810 crore ($278 million) [185][186][187]
2022 RRR ₹550 crore ($72 million) ₹624 crore ($82 million)[h] ₹1387.26 crore ($164 million) [188][189][190]

Awards and recognition

[edit]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by S. S. Rajamouli
Rajamouli receiving the ANR National Award from the vice-president of India Venkaiah Naidu, September 2017.

Rajamouli is a recipient of several awards including four National Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards, and five state Nandi Awards.

In 2015, Rajamouli was named CNN-News18 Indian of the Year in Entertainment.[105] The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2016, for his contributions to the field of Art.[191]

His films have been screened at various film festivals such as Cannes Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival among others.[b][c] A retrospective of Rajamouli's films was held from September 26 to October 10, 2022, in a special program titled "From Tollywood to Hollywood" as part of the 10th edition of Beyond Fest, the highest attended genre festival in the U.S.[212][213]

Rajamouli was cited as an influence by directors Prashanth Neel and Ayan Mukerji.[214][215] Filmmaker and actor Rahul Ravindran thinks Rajamouli alone has a foresight to predict the success of a script.[216]

Matt Groening, creator of the television shows The Simpsons and Futurama, while discussing his inspiration for Disenchantment mentioned that Rajamouli made some of his favourite films of the last decade, especially Magadheera. He added that the show has homages to Rajamouli.[217] Filmmaker Mani Ratnam mentioned that the success of Baahubali inspired him to work on Ponniyin Selvan.[218][219]

Rajamouli has redefined the reach of regional cinema consistently through his films, starting with Eega [2012] to the Baahubali series, and now with RRR. The entire concept of pan-Indian films came from him when he succeeded with Eega across many Indian languages. This opened up this concept. Thanks to his vision, today, a lot of films are able to be made on a bigger budget targeted at a pan-Indian audience. Rajamouli stands tall among all Indian filmmakers for his vision, innovation, and expansion of the regional language market at a global level.

 — Film producer G. Dhananjayan on Rajamouli[113]

Through his Baahubali films, Rajamouli is credited with pioneering the pan-Indian films movement.[112][113] Gautam Jain of Ormax Media, a media and entertainment consulting firm writes, "Before the release of Bahubali: The Beginning (2015), the term 'Pan India film' did not exist in film media or audience lingo." He also called him the 'original Pan India filmmaker' and the 'most successful Pan India filmmaker'.[114] Vijay Kiragandur, the producer of the KGF films credited Rajamouli for making Baahubali films and giving him the confidence to take KGF: Chapter 1 to audiences across the country.[115]

Rachel Dwyer, professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS University of London remarked that Rajamouli is India's most significant director at present who can make a film in a south Indian language that becomes a pan-Indian film which can also be enjoyed overseas audience.[220]

Film trade analyst Komal Nahta, citing the successful track record of Rajamouli called him the "biggest Indian film director ever".[7] Manoj Kumar R of The Indian Express wrote, "It's a rarity to find a director who sells more tickets than the leading stars of a movie. And in that respect, he has monopolized that space."[55] Sagar Tetali of Film Companion noted, that the success of Rajamouli's films is the triumph of directorial ambition over the actor-star image — centered film culture in Telugu cinema."[45] At the 95th Academy Awards, "Naatu Naatu" from RRR became the first song from an Indian film to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2024.[221]

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Budget estimates of Magadheera vary. Independent estimates include ₹35 crore by The Times of India,[69] ₹42 crore by Mint,[70] and ₹44 crore by News18.[71]
  2. ^ a b The Telugu version of Eega was screened at L'Étrange Film Festival,[192][193][194] 2013 Cannes Film Festival, the Panorama section of the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival and Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.[195][196] The film received Best Art Direction award at the Fantaspoa film festival of Brazil.[197][198] The Tamil version Naan Ee was screened at the 10th Chennai International Film Festival.[199][200]
  3. ^ a b Baahubali: The Beginning was screened at Open Cinema Strand of Busan International Film Festival, Indian Film Festival The Hague,[201] Sitges Film Festival in Spain,[202] Utopiales Film Festival in France,[203] Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei, Taiwan,[204] Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia,[205] L'Etrange International Film Festival in Paris,[206] Five Flavours Film Festival in Poland,[207] Hawaii International Film Festival in Honolulu, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival in Brussels, Belgium,[208][209] and the Cannes Film Festival.[210][211]
  4. ^ a b The average exchange rate in 2017 was 67.81 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).[110]
  5. ^ Box-office figures are reported in the form of either gross receipts or distributor share (distributor rentals). For older films, only the box-office share figures are available. The distributor share of a film is the box-office gross less the exhibitor's cut and taxes. For more details, see Distributor rentals.
  6. ^ The New Indian Express quoted Nani estimating the film's budget as ₹26 crore,[179] S. S. Rajamouli estimated the film's budget to be around ₹30–35 crore in an interview with The Hindu,[180] and Rajeev Kamineni of PVP Cinema estimated the film's budget as ₹40 crore in an interview with The Times of India.[181]
  7. ^ Excluding China and Japan box office share
  8. ^ Excluding Japan box office share

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Goyal, Divya (26 January 2016). "Baahubali Director Rajamouli Says he 'Doesn't Deserve' Padma Shri". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Ahead of Oscars 2023, revisiting SS Rajamouli's RRR -the records it broke, legacy it created, glory it brought". Pinkvilla. 11 March 2023. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023. He's the highest grossing Indian director and also the director to secure the highest theatrical share.
  3. ^
  4. ^ Davis, Clayton (2 December 2022). "'Tár' Leads New York Film Critics Circle, 'RRR' and Keke Palmer Surprise (Full Winners List)". Variety. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  5. ^ Kaushal, Sweta. "SS Rajamouli's 'RRR' Bags Two Critics' Choice Awards". Forbes. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  6. ^ "TIME100: The Most Influential People of 2023". Time. 13 April 2023. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Sharma, Suparna (30 April 2022). "Indian director Rajamouli scores a global hit with new film RRR". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022. "Rajamouli has an impeccable track record. Every film of his has worked … It would not be wrong to say that he's the biggest [Indian film director] ever," Komal Nahta, an Indian film trade analyst, told Al Jazeera. Since his film-making career began in 2001, Rajamouli has directed 12 films – all box office hits.
  8. ^ Dwyer, Rachel (1 April 2022). "Director's Roar – The globalisation of South Indian cinema began with Rajamouli". Open Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022. SS Rajamouli is perhaps India's most significant director today. He can make a film in a south Indian language that, when dubbed, becomes a pan-Indian film that can also be enjoyed overseas.
  9. ^ Tetali, Sagar (22 March 2022). "SS Rajamouli, Maker of Myths". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023. And he has never failed — he has not had a film which was unprofitable at the box office, and ...... At what he has set out to do — whether or not it's to the taste of the art film aficionado or the film critic — he has never yet failed.
  10. ^ a b "Bahubali 2 Is The Biggest Hindi Blockbuster This Century". Box Office India. 8 June 2017. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  11. ^ a b Acharya, Sandeep (10 July 2017). "Baahubali 2 is the first Indian film with over 10 crore footfalls". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  12. ^ a b Srinivasan, Madhumitha (7 June 2015). "'I sell oranges'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2022. After Magadheera, which became the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time, .....
  13. ^ a b c "Postmortem – Magadheera by SS Rajamouli". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2022. And his latest movie Magadheera became industry hit in all areas across India and overseas by breaking previous records by miles.
  14. ^
    • Bamzai, Kaveree (1 April 2022). "Cinema's Biggest Mythmaker". Open Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022. He is perhaps singlehandedly responsible for the rise of the pan-Indian film.
    • Jain, Gautam (25 March 2022). "The original Pan India filmmaker". Ormax Media. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022. Before the release of Bahubali: The Beginning (2015), the term 'Pan India film' did not exist in film media or audience lingo.
    • Srinivasan, Latha (30 March 2022). "Inside the mind of SS Rajamouli: Decoding how the RRR director lends scale to his storytelling". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022. Producer G Dhananjayan says, "Rajamouli has redefined the reach of regional cinema consistently through his films, starting with Eega [2012] to the Baahubali series, and now with RRR. The entire concept of pan-Indian films came from him when he succeeded with Eega across many Indian languages. This opened up this concept. Thanks to his vision, today, a lot of films are able to be made on a bigger budget targeted at a pan-Indian audience. Rajamouli stands tall among all Indian filmmakers for his vision, innovation, and expansion of the regional language market at a global level."
  15. ^
    • S., Vidya; Lidhoo, Prerna (22 July 2022). "How Movies From the South Conquered Bollywood". Business Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022. As audiences lapped up 'Why did Katappa kill Baahubali?', a market was not just created in the North for theatrical releases of Hindi-dubbed south Indian films, but it also paved the way for them to hammer Hindi films in their home turf. Clearly, Rajamouli has sown the seeds of south Indian cinema's dominance of Indian movie theatres across the country, with others following in his footsteps.
    • Dwyer, Rachel (1 April 2022). "Director's Roar – The globalisation of South Indian cinema began with Rajamouli". Open Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022. SS Rajamouli is perhaps India's most significant director today. He can make a film in a south Indian language that, when dubbed, becomes a pan-Indian film that can also be enjoyed overseas. SS Rajamouli is now widely regarded as one of India's greatest directors. Rajamouli's impact on Indian cinema is yet to be assessed, but he is perhaps primarily responsible for galvanising the interest in south Indian cinema that is now being watched all over India.
    • Kannan, Indira (9 September 2022). "Changing perception of Indian Cinema: How Bollywood is no more favourite for overseas cinegoers". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022. Rajamouli and his last film RRR may have single-handedly prompted not just Indian audiences but also cinephiles worldwide to look beyond Bollywood while seeking entertaining Indian blockbusters.
  16. ^ "SS Rajamouli – Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022. my mother tongue is Telugu and I was born in Karnataka
  17. ^ "Baahubali, Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Meet the Rs 500 crore writer". India Today. 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  18. ^ "SS Rajamouli's mother Rajanandini died today". Filmibeat.com. 20 October 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Karnataka roots: Baahubali 2 director Rajamouli was born in Raichur". The Times of India. 3 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  20. ^ Ganguly, Nivedita (13 May 2017). "Vizag holds a special place in my heart: Rajamouli". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  21. ^ Atluri, Sri (10 December 2004). "TC Exclusive: Interview with writer Vijayendra Prasad". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2004.
  22. ^ "Interview with SS Rajamouli by Jeevi – Chatrapathi". Idlebrain.com. 22 September 2005. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  23. ^ a b "K. V. Vijayendra Prasad Interview - Full Episode", Alitho Saradaga (in Telugu), ETV, 31 May 2021, retrieved 24 May 2023; Event occurs from 36:12 to 38:51
  24. ^ Mamatha Reddy (2 June 2021). "Did Vijayendra Prasad intentionally reveal about inter-caste marriage?". India Herald. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Why did Katappa Kill Baahubali?". The Indian Express. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2022. Very early in his career, he dropped 'K' from his name, KV Vijayendra Prasad, because "it was an indicator of my caste". "The caste system is at the root of most problems our country faces. I want it eradicated but it's not enough to preach without practising it."
  26. ^ a b c "SS Rajamouli on Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, being an atheist and his love for cinema". Firstpost. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Atluri, Sri (22 September 2004). "S. S. Rajamouli Exclusive interview with TC.Com". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2004.
  28. ^ "K. V. Vijayendra Prasad Interview – Full Episode", Alitho Saradaga (in Telugu), ETV, 31 May 2021, archived from the original on 24 May 2023, retrieved 24 May 2023; Event occurs from 26:55 to 27:05
  29. ^ a b c d S S Rajamouli and Anupam Kher at Goafest 2022, 15 June 2022, archived from the original on 14 September 2022, retrieved 14 September 2022; Event occurs from 9:46 to 11:42
  30. ^ Ramnath, Nandini (3 June 2015). "SS Rajamouli conquered Telugu cinema a decade ago. Is Bollywood next?". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022. The director grew up in a joint family spilling over with uncles and cousins.
  31. ^ "I am scared of handling big stars: Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022. Ours was a big joint family and we were 13 cousins.
  32. ^ a b c Atluri, Sri (10 December 2004). "TC Exclusive: Interview with writer Vijayendra Prasad". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2004.
  33. ^ "Karnataka roots: Baahubali 2 director Rajamouli was born in Raichur". The Times of India. 3 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  34. ^ "అంతర్జాతీయ వేదికపై తెలుగు పలుకులు..జైహింద్ అంటూ ప్రసంగం ముగించిన జక్కన్న". Hindustan Times Telugu. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h "Interview with SS Rajamouli by Jeevi – Chatrapathi". Idlebrain.com. 22 September 2005. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  36. ^ a b "I am scared of handling big stars: Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022. Right from class two, my passion was telling stories. On Saturdays, we had an extra-curricular class, where it was always Rajamouli telling stories. I don't remember what I studied in school, but I remember each and every comic I read of Amar Chitra Katha. I used to mix and mash the characters from Amar Chitra Katha to tell stories to suit my liking.
  37. ^ a b Cain, Rob (27 August 2015). "An Interview With 'Baahubali' Director SS Rajamouli: The Beginning". Forbes. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2022. I was fascinated by the forts, the battles, the kings, I not only used to read those stories but I kept telling those stories to my friends in my own way.
  38. ^ a b Olson, Josh; Dante, Joe (16 August 2022). "RRR Writer/Director S.S. Rajamouli on 'The Movies That Made Me' Podcast". Trailers from Hell. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  39. ^ a b Naidu, Rajesh. "S S Rajamouli: The Epic Storyteller". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  40. ^ a b S S Rajamouli and Anupam Kher at Goafest 2022, 15 June 2022, archived from the original on 14 September 2022, retrieved 14 September 2022; Event occurs from 13:02 to 14:24
  41. ^ a b "I am scared of handling big stars: Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022. We were failed producers that ate away all the resources that my grandfather had accumulated as a rich landlord. We hit rock bottom and did not have any money for even my further education after intermediate. All of us were living in a two-room apartment. Even though they were hard days, it was fun together. Today, talking about those days, it looks as if we were poor; but at that time, we were happy and were sure that good days lay ahead.
  42. ^ a b Ramnath, Nandini (3 June 2015). "SS Rajamouli conquered Telugu cinema a decade ago. Is Bollywood next?". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  43. ^ "I am scared of handling big stars: Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022. My father, who then had no money to produce films, became a ghostwriter just for money. At home, he used to talk about his stories and I used to give him inputs and he took me as his assistant. He then established himself as a writer in films and we graduated to becoming lower middle class with each of his brothers living in separate houses.
  44. ^ a b SS Rajamouli EMOTIONAL Words About His Wife Rama Rajamouli | Filmylooks (in Telugu), 31 October 2021, archived from the original on 28 July 2022, retrieved 15 July 2022; From 3:30 to 6:02
  45. ^ a b Tetali, Sagar (22 March 2022). "SS Rajamouli, Maker of Myths". Film Companion. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  46. ^ a b "I am scared of handling big stars: Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022. After my father earned a little money as a writer, he went to his first love of producing films but the film was a miserable flop. I was 23 years old and everything we had was gone. Also, since he had become a director, no one gave him writing assignments; so we had no source of income for a year. We were scared of even paying our TV installment of ₹630 and were scared of the humiliation when the guy would come and take it away. This was the time I lost my innocence and the harsh reality of life hit me.
  47. ^ a b c "Rajamouli on his next dream project and Bollywood vs south film industry". Mint. 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  48. ^ "I am scared of handling big stars: Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022. To escape from my father, I thought I should stay away from home and said I will become a director. So he put me as an apprentice under an editor and basically I did nothing except fooling around. But I read a lot of books.
  49. ^ "First time lucky". Deccanchronicle.com. 6 November 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  50. ^ "Trivia about Rajamouli on his birthday". Telugu360.com. 10 October 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  51. ^ "I am scared of handling big stars: Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022. I started writing for films but was always disappointed by the execution and thus wanted to become a director to bring out what I envisioned as a writer. My frustration as a writer was the reason for my becoming a director.
  52. ^ a b c d e f "I am scared of handling big stars: Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  53. ^ S S Rajamouli and Anupam Kher at Goafest 2022, 15 June 2022, archived from the original on 14 September 2022, retrieved 14 September 2022; Event occurs from 24:56 to 26:47
  54. ^ "I am far from being a perfectionist, says 'RRR' film-maker SS Rajamouli". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  55. ^ a b R, Manoj Kumar (24 March 2022). "Decoding SS Rajamouli's success ahead of RRR: A director who sells more tickets than superstars". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  56. ^ a b "NTR – S.S.Rajamouli's Yamadonga completes 13 Years". Telugu360.com. 15 August 2020. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  57. ^ "Years back S.S Rajamouli planned a movie with Mohanlal". IndiaGlitz.com. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  58. ^ Mohanlal SS Rajamouli team’s dropped film’s sketches came out from Manu Jagat Archived 11 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Onlookersmedia.in (9 October 2015). Retrieved on 21 October 2015.
  59. ^ J Rao, Subha (12 April 2022). "Inside RRR universe with cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar, his two-decade long association with SS Rajamouli". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  60. ^ Tetali, Sagar (22 March 2022). "SS Rajamouli, Maker of Myths". Film Companion. Retrieved 15 July 2022. Rugby did not even skirt the periphery of our consciousness as kids. We'd never watched it on TV or live at a ground. But they had just watched Rajamouli's new sports drama, Sye, and were in the grip of the viscerality of the sport.
  61. ^ Vanaparthy, Ranganath. "2005 year Top 10 – Telugu cinema – Hit films". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  62. ^ "Quarry workers attack Telugu film director". The Times of India. 25 April 2006. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  63. ^ "SS Rajamouli attacked and is safe". Idlebrain. 24 April 2006. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  64. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF). iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  65. ^ "South director SS Rajamouli wants to direct Aamir Khan – Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014.
  66. ^ "Happy birthday Jr NTR: 5 movies that prove 'Young Tiger' is talent personified". Deccan Herald. 20 May 2020. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  67. ^ "Cherry (P Chiranjeevi) – Telugu Cinema interview – Telugu film producer". Idlebrain.com. 4 August 2007. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022. When Rajamouli wanted to design the logo of Viswamitra Creations, he needed a model for Viswamitra photo. He requested Prabhas as his physique is very good. Prabhas obliged for a photo shoot. The designer cut the physique of Prabhas and inserted in the logo of Viswamitra creations.
  68. ^ Atluri, Sri (28 September 2008). "Star Interviews : Exclusive Interview: Rajamouli". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  69. ^ "Rajamouli's 'Magadheera' rocking in Japan after 'Baahubali' and 'Muthu'". The Times of India. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  70. ^ Pulla, Priyanka (26 May 2010). "Tollywood tightens belt as rising costs hit production". Mint. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  71. ^ "Bahubali Director SS Rajamouli Completes 20 Years in Industry: A Look At His Journey". News18. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  72. ^ "57th_National Film Awards" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  73. ^ "Tamil Magadheera releases on 27". Idlebrain.com. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  74. ^ a b "Ram Charan's 'Magadheera' a hit in Japan". The News Minute. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  75. ^ "Rajamouli's 'Magadheera' rocking in Japan after 'Baahubali' and 'Muthu'". The Times of India. 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  76. ^ "Maryada Ramanna press meet – Telugu cinema". Idlebrain.com. 26 June 2010. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022. SS Rajamouli said, "Rayalaseema is known for factionism and violence. But is also known for hospitality. Maryada Ramanna is about a man who is torn with his two extremities of factionism and hospitality."
  77. ^ "'Makkhi' director all set to break into Bollywood". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022. In one area of Andhra Pradesh family feuds that persist for many generations is a reality. That's what I showed in Maryada Ramanna. I saw families that were perfectly cultured and courteous, killing each other. I don't think this peculiar contradictory culture of the co-existence of violence and hospitality exists in Punjab.
  78. ^ a b c "SS Rajamouli about Maryada Ramanna – Telugu Cinema interview". Idlebrain.com. 20 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  79. ^ "Bahubali Director SS Rajamouli Completes 20 Years in Industry: A Look At His Journey". News18. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  80. ^ "భళి భళి భళిరా భళి రాజమౌళి". Sakshi (in Telugu). 5 May 2017. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  81. ^ a b "Top Ten Telugu Films of the year 2010". Sify. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022. Top director Rajamouli's Maryada Ramanna starring Sunil and Saloni collected about Rs 30 Crores.
  82. ^ Singh song | Rajeev Masand – movies that matter : from bollywood, hollywood and everywhere else Archived 12 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Rajeevmasand.com (13 November 2012). Retrieved on 21 October 2015.
  83. ^ Mee Star : S.S.Rajamouli Part 2. YouTube. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012.
  84. ^ Suresh, Sunayana (29 July 2012). "Audience likes out-of-the-box subjects: S S Rajamouli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  85. ^ "I would have shelved 'Eega': SS Rajamouli". News18. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  86. ^ Sinha, Sayoni (8 October 2012). "'Makkhi was born 16 years ago'". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  87. ^ "Naan Ee-The highest collecting bi-lingual in Tamil!". Sify. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  88. ^ "Ram Charan's Nayak sets new record". The Times of India. 28 December 2018. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022. Although Makkhi (Eega in Telugu) was traded for Rs 8 crore, it can be treated as a straight film because of the theatrical release of the Hindi version.
  89. ^ "Rajamouli's Eega continues to win awards". The Times of India. 3 November 2013. Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  90. ^ "Film Market in India Is Contracting: Shekhar Kapur". Daily News and Analysis. 30 October 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  91. ^ Nayman, Adam (31 December 2019). "The 25 Best Foreign Films of the Decade". The Ringer. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  92. ^ "India's most expensive film?". Hindustan Times. 14 July 2013. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  93. ^ "Rajamouli's Bahubali is India's costliest film?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  94. ^ "Rajamouli goes digital for Bahubali". The Times of India. 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  95. ^ "'Baahubali' movie release date". IndiaGlitz. 17 June 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  96. ^ Tsering, Lisa (13 July 2015). "'Bahubali': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  97. ^ McCahill, Mike (12 July 2015). "Baahubali: The Beginning review – fantastic bang for your buck in most expensive Indian movie ever made". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  98. ^ S., Vidya; Lidhoo, Prerna (22 July 2022). "How Movies From the South Conquered Bollywood". Business Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022. Released in 2015, Baahubali: The Beginning set the pace with an impressive lifetime gross of 500 crore in India to become the country's highest-grossing movie at the time.
  99. ^ Cain, Rob (14 August 2015). "Oops... 'PK' Is Not Actually India's Top-Grossing Movie Ever". Forbes. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  100. ^ Cain, Rob. "'Baahubali' Zooms Past 'Dhoom', Now India's All Time #3". Forbes. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  101. ^ "Rajamouli-Prabhas new movie budget". The Times of India. 14 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  102. ^ "Baahubali's team gets a rare honour". The Times of India. 21 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  103. ^ "Rajamouli's Bahubali finds place in BBC's documentary". The Hans India. 22 May 2014. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  104. ^ "'Baahubali: The Beginning' Review: A Giddy Spectacle, If Somewhat Uneven". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  105. ^ a b "Winner of Indian of the Year 2015 in the Entertainment category: SS Rajamouli". 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  106. ^ "Baahubali director SS Rajamouli to receive Padma Shri Award". 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  107. ^ Nyayapati, Neeshita (28 April 2018). "One year since the release of Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah starrer 'Baahubali 2': 8 lesser known facts about the film". Times News Network. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2020 – via The Times of India.
  108. ^ "Dangal and Baahubali won Telestra People's choice award in IFFM Melbourne". 12 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  109. ^ "Baahubali 2 premiere: Queen Elizabeth II will watch it before anybody else in India?". The Indian Express. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  110. ^ "USD to INR Historical Exchange Rates – Internal Revenue Service". Internal Revenue Service. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  111. ^ "Top All Time India Grossers All Formats – 2.0 Second". Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  112. ^ a b c Bamzai, Kaveree (1 April 2022). "Cinema's Biggest Mythmaker". Open Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022. He is perhaps singlehandedly responsible for the rise of the pan-Indian film.
  113. ^ a b c Srinivasan, Latha (30 March 2022). "Inside the mind of SS Rajamouli: Decoding how the RRR director lends scale to his storytelling". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022. Producer G Dhananjayan says, "Rajamouli has redefined the reach of regional cinema consistently through his films, starting with Eega [2012] to the Baahubali series, and now with RRR. The entire concept of pan-Indian films came from him when he succeeded with Eega across many Indian languages. This opened up this concept. Thanks to his vision, today, a lot of films are able to be made on a bigger budget targeted at a pan-Indian audience. Rajamouli stands tall among all Indian filmmakers for his vision, innovation, and expansion of the regional language market at a global level."
  114. ^ a b Jain, Gautam (25 March 2022). "The original Pan India filmmaker". Ormax Media. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022. Before the release of Bahubali: The Beginning (2015), the term 'Pan India film' did not exist in film media or audience lingo.
  115. ^ a b S., Vidya; Lidhoo, Prerna (22 July 2022). "How Movies From the South Conquered Bollywood". Business Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022. "It's all thanks to Rajamouli and Yarlagadda for making pan-India films and giving us the confidence", says Vijay Kiragandur, Co-founder of Hombale Group, which produced the KGF movies. It was a meeting with Rajamouli in Bengaluru two months before KGF1's release that set the ball rolling. They showed him an 8-10-minute show-reel cut of the film on an iPad, and he asked them to go pan-India. "People in Karnataka were saying we are spending more on marketing than production in KGF1. [His words] gave us the confidence to spend that much. Otherwise also we would have gone all out, but would not have taken that much of a risk unless we heard it from the horse's mouth", says Kiragandur.
  116. ^ a b Singh, Suhani (17 December 2021). "S.S. Rajamouli: The return of the king". India Today. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  117. ^ Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (14 March 2019). "RRR: Story, budget, full cast and all you need to know about SS Rajamouli film". India Today. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  118. ^ Tinoco, Armando (12 August 2022). "Saturn Awards Nominations: 'The Batman', 'Nightmare Alley', 'Spider-Man', 'Better Call Saul' Top List". Deadline. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  119. ^ Chauhan, Gaurang (13 August 2022). "Saturn Awards Nominations: It's 'RRR' Vs 'Fast & Furious 9', 'Top Gun 2' & 'No Time To Die'". MensXP. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  120. ^ Lohana, Avinash (9 May 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: Mahesh Babu & SS Rajamouli's film to roll in first half of next year, confirms KV Vijayendra Prasad". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  121. ^ Das, Basudha (13 September 2022). "'Globe trotting action adventure': SS Rajamouli's next big film to star Mahesh Babu". Business Today. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  122. ^ Joshi, Garima, ed. (13 September 2022). "SS Rajamouli announces new film with Mahesh Babu, says, 'It's going to be kind of James Bond or Indiana Jones...'". Zee News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  123. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (22 September 2022). "'RRR' Director SS Rajamouli Signs With CAA In Coup For Agency; Next Film With Mahesh Babu To Start In The Spring". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  124. ^ "Rajamouli's film with Hollywood studio confirmed". IndiaGlitz.com. 1 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  125. ^ a b "When S.S. Rajamouli talked about making a film on the epic Mahabharata". Zoom. 3 May 2020. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  126. ^ Patel, Sunil (27 May 2022). "Rip-Roaring Revolution: S.S. Rajamouli on his Bromantic Epic". Letterboxd. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  127. ^ S S Rajamouli's upcoming projects "Mahabharata the epic" – TV9 Interview, 9 January 2017, archived from the original on 9 July 2022, retrieved 8 July 2022
  128. ^ SS Rajamouli about Mahabharata Project | Interaction at IIT Madras | 17 October 2015, 20 December 2015, archived from the original on 9 July 2022, retrieved 8 July 2022
  129. ^ "SS Rajamouli at IIT Madras – Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  130. ^ Mahabharata will be my last film: SS Rajamouli | Open Heart With RK | ABN Telugu, 31 May 2017, archived from the original on 9 July 2022, retrieved 8 July 2022
  131. ^ "SS Rajamouli explains how his version of Mahabharata will be a 10-part film: 'That is my dream'". The Indian Express. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  132. ^ "అన్నమయ్య లాంటి చిత్రం చేస్తా!" (in Telugu). Eenadu. August 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2022 – via Ghost Archive.
  133. ^ "Rajamouli has his eyes on the Vijayanagara Empire". Bangalore Mirror. 24 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022. Rajamouli said, "I have a subject in mind. It is an idea evolving for years. The story has the Vijayanagara Empire as its backdrop during Sri Krishnadevaraya's rule."
  134. ^ "Film on Warangal still on: SS Rajamouli". News18. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  135. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: RRR director SS Rajamouli reveals he has two female oriented stories in mind". Bollywood Hungama. 22 April 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  136. ^ S., Vidya; Lidhoo, Prerna (22 July 2022). "How Movies From the South Conquered Bollywood". Business Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  137. ^ Kavirayani, Suresh (11 February 2014). "We are Family". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021 – via Pressreader.
  138. ^ "Baahubali 2: Did you know SS Rajamouli's daughter acted in the film too?". Bollywood Hungama. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  139. ^ "Baahubali director SS Rajamouli's son Karthikeya to marry Pooja Prasad in Jaipur". India Today. 28 December 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  140. ^ "Baahubali 2: From SS Rajamouli to his father Vijayendra Prasad, here's why this project is all in the family". Bangalore Mirror. 25 April 2017. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  141. ^ Hooli, Shekhar H. (24 April 2020). "Baahubali musician Keeravani opens up on his dislikes about RRR director SS Rajamouli". www.ibtimes.co.in. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  142. ^ "Male ego comes in your way: MM Srilekha". Telangana Today. 6 March 2021. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  143. ^ "Rajamouli's cousin ready with his debut film". 123telugu.com. 7 February 2017. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  144. ^ "When Rajamouli dreamt of becoming a hero". The Hans India. 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  145. ^ "Baahubali VR: How AMD's ambitious effort for Rajamouli's epic could be a game changer". Firstpost. 13 April 2017. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  146. ^ "Chatrapati – Post mortem – Telugu cinema – SS Rajamouli". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  147. ^ Rajamani, Radhika (7 November 2006). "'I am trying to experiment'". Rediff. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  148. ^ "Secret Behind Jakkanna Name For Rajamouli". Sakshi Post. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  149. ^ Why Director SS Rajamouli Called As Jakkanna | Actor Rajiv Kanakala Answer | TV5 News, 9 August 2015, archived from the original on 30 June 2022, retrieved 30 June 2022
  150. ^ 10 Questions With SS Rajamouli | Baradwaj Rangan | RRR, 24 March 2022, archived from the original on 16 May 2022, retrieved 2 May 2022; From 8:52 to 9:55
  151. ^ "RRR director SS Rajamouli cites difference between Hindu dharma and religion". DNA INDIA. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  152. ^ "S S Rajamouli on Hindu religion and Hindu dharma". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  153. ^ "SS Rajamouli highlights difference between Hindu religion and Hindu dharma: 'If you take the religion, I am also not a Hindu'". The Indian Express. 8 October 2022. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  154. ^ "SS Rajamouli explains difference between Hindu religion and Hindu dharma". Mid-day. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  155. ^ "Interview with SS Raja Mouli by Jeevi". 22 September 2005. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023 – via Idlebrain.com. I am a film freak since I was a kid.
  156. ^ "The stronger the emotions, the more people love a movie, says Rajamouli". The Times of India. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023. Over the course of my career I learned that the stronger the emotions or more basic the emotions, the more people tend to like your movie," Rajamouli said. "That's what I have been doing. [...] I realised that if films are based on stories driven by basic human emotions, they will have a wider reach.
  157. ^ S., Vidya; Lidhoo, Prerna (22 July 2022). "How Movies From the South Conquered Bollywood". Business Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022. When I start writing a story, for me, it is the emotion I should be moved by. [...] I might not believe in God, but I connect to the emotion of a devotee and a God. And, I connect to the emotion that drives masses: devotion and submission to a greater self. I understand the power of that emotion, the power of a mass emotion, and I too feel that emotion. I might not believe in God, but I believe in the emotion, and if it moves me, I write it.
  158. ^ S., Vidya; Lidhoo, Prerna (22 July 2022). "How Movies From the South Conquered Bollywood". Business Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022. Says Rajamouli, an agnostic whose tales are replete with mythological themes of reincarnation and revenge
  159. ^ Kokra, Sonali (12 April 2022). "'RRR' director SS Rajamouli on being a 'rollercoaster entertainer'". The National. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  160. ^ Shanmugam, Kavitha (9 April 2022). "I make big-scale movies driven by emotions: Rajamouli". The Federal. Archived from the original on 24 August 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2022. "When humans are under the grip of emotion, they tend to behave in a superhuman way and are pushed to do anything and that is what I tap," he said, describing his films as being "big scale action movies driven by hard-core emotion".
  161. ^ Bhopatkar, Tejashree (30 December 2021). "SS Rajamouli: My family members are ruthless critics; they show no mercy in ripping apart my films if they don't like anything". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022. Yes, violence is part of my storytelling but not in a negative way. Each and everything, whether it is violence, softness, or any kind of emotion, I like to call myself a magnifying glass. I like to enhance my emotions. And I feel the same kind of emotion will enhance much more if you have action, if it has something just running around, It will just explode. It gives a larger-than-life effect. So that is my way of storytelling. That is how I like to see films, that is how I like to make films.
  162. ^ Jain, Gautam (25 March 2022). "The original Pan India filmmaker". Ormax Media. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022. Instead of relying on action to only drive an adrenaline rush, SS Rajamouli uses action to drive various emotions. This leads to higher engagement with the proceedings on screen during action set-pieces.
  163. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :223 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  164. ^ Kokra, Sonali (12 April 2022). "'RRR' director SS Rajamouli on being a 'rollercoaster entertainer'". The National. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022. I generally like larger-than-life, pushing-the-boundaries sort of canvases [...] I believe entertainment to be a very serious business. It takes a lot for the audience to spend their hard-earned money and effort to come watch our films. They don't come to my movies for a history lesson, they come for thrill and emotional thrust. That's what I try to deliver. [...] I try to tell my story through visuals. [...] I try to put in as little dialogue as possible
  165. ^ Srinivasan, Latha (30 March 2022). "Inside the mind of SS Rajamouli: Decoding how the RRR director lends scale to his storytelling". Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022. Rajamouli had said at an event, "A pan Indian film does not mean that actors from different languages come together. A pan Indian film means a story that connects to everyone irrespective of the language. While creating a story, I think 'If I switch off this dialogue portion, will the audience still connect to my movie?' Many times, the answer is a yes."
  166. ^ Manohar, Niveda (9 July 2015). "Before Watching Baahubali: 7 Rajamouli Quirks". Silverscreen India. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023. SS Rajamouli is a brand in Tollywood. Literally. He's even got a stamp for himself. No Rajamouli film is complete without this
  167. ^ Madhavan, N (16 December 2015). "SS Rajamouli: Tollywood's hit machine". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022. "Rajamouli is a great storyteller. He knows people expect something new with every film. He takes up familiar concepts and develops them in an unfamiliar and acceptable way," says Baradwaj Rangan
  168. ^ Madhavan, N (16 December 2015). "SS Rajamouli: Tollywood's hit machine". Forbes India. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022. "His visualisation is grand and, at the same time, goes into very minute details," says Sabu Cyril, [...] "He ensured that every pillar and wall had the right design. He makes no compromises," Cyril adds.
  169. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (2 December 2022). "Sight and Sound's Greatest Films of All Time poll: The 2022 results are in – and there's a new winner". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023 – via Yahoo.
  170. ^ Shutt, Mike (18 February 2023). "How Braveheart Inspired A Pivotal Song In RRR". /Film. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  171. ^ a b c d e f "Bahubali Director SS Rajamouli Completes 20 Years in Industry: A Look At His Journey". News18. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  172. ^ a b c d "Chatrapati – Post mortem – Telugu cinema – SS Rajamouli". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  173. ^ a b c d e f "భళి భళి భళిరా భళి రాజమౌళి". Sakshi (in Telugu). 5 May 2017. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  174. ^ "A few hits and many flops". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 29 December 2006. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007.
  175. ^ "An action film!". Sify. 19 July 2016. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  176. ^ Focus, Filmy (4 August 2021). "Box office collections data for Rajamouli's films is here – Filmy Focus". Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  177. ^ "Aravinda Sametha 18-day box office collection: Jr NTR film turns fifth all-time highest Telugu film". International Business Times. 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  178. ^ "Tollywood: The big hits of 2010". The New Indian Express. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  179. ^ "Nani becomes a housefly". The New Indian Express. 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  180. ^ Manigandan, K. R. (18 July 2012). "What's the big BUZZ?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  181. ^ Mathai, Kamini (7 July 2012). "Kollywood evolves from real jumbos to animated housefly". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  182. ^ "DCHL bankruptcy threat: PVP Ventures in fray to buy IPL team Deccan C…". The Economic Times. 4 January 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  183. ^ "Baahubali rights snapped up by Netflix for Rs 25.5 crore; The Conclusion completes 100 days in theatres". Firstpost. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  184. ^ "Has SS Rajamouli's Baahubali 2 earned Rs 500 cr even before release?". India Today. February 2017. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  185. ^ Upadhyaya, Prakash (20 September 2017). "Baahubali 2 (Bahubali 2) box office collection: SS Rajamouli's film mints Rs 1,706.50 cr in 140 days". IBTimes. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  186. ^ "Investments covered, Baahubali 2 is a gold mine even before release: Experts". Hindustan Times. 8 April 2017. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  187. ^ "Top Worldwide Figures – All Formats And Hindi – Box Office India". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  188. ^ "RRR Budget | అంత భారీ బ‌డ్జెట్‌తో RRR సినిమాను తెర‌కెక్కించారా?". Namasthe Telangana (in Telugu). 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  189. ^ "SS Rajamouli's RRR gets shoutout from Doctor Strange screenwriter C. Robert Cargill: 'Craziest, weirdest blockbuster'". Hindustan Times. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  190. ^ "Gangubai Kathiawadi is the most-watched Indian film on Netflix with 50.6 million viewership hours, RRR follows close behind". The Indian Express. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  191. ^ "Padma Awards 2016: Rajinikanth, Priyanka Chopra, Ujjwal Nikam, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirzia, SS Rajamouli and others honoured". International Business Times, India Edition. 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  192. ^ "L'ETRANGE 2012: Review of EEGA". Quietearth.us. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  193. ^ "Eega Screened at a French Film Festival". chitraloka.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  194. ^ "Eega Gains International Recognition". cinemamama.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  195. ^ "'Makkhi' Review: Revenge comes in all sizes!". Zeenews.india.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  196. ^ Eega to be screened at Cannes! Archived 9 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine. 123telugu.com. Retrieved on 21 October 2015.
  197. ^ "Ravinder Reddy Wins Big in Brazil". IndiaGlitz.com. 10 August 2013. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  198. ^ Shiva Prasad (16 May 2013). "After Cannes; Eega heads to Madrid & Korea". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  199. ^ "Rajamouli's Eega to be screened at Chennai Film Festival". 123telugu.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  200. ^ "Rajamouli's 'Eega' wins National Awards". 123telugu.com. 18 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  201. ^ "Busan: Final 'Baahubali' Aims to Be Bigger, More Emotional". Variety. 5 October 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  202. ^ "Sitges Film Festival » Baahubali – The Beginning". sitgesfilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  203. ^ "Baahubali : the beginning | Utopiales • International Festival of science fiction of Nantes". www.utopiales.org. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  204. ^ "2015 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival | 巴霍巴利王：創始之初". www.goldenhorse.org.tw. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  205. ^ "Baahubali: The Beginning — Special Screenings — Black Nights Film Festival Nov 13 – 29 nov 2015". 2015.poff.ee. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  206. ^ "L'Étrange Festival — XXIe édition — Du 3 au 13 septembre 2015 – Baahubali: The Beginning". www.etrangefestival.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  207. ^ "Festiwal Filmowy Pięć Smaków — Bahubali: Początek". www.piecsmakow.pl. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  208. ^ "Baahubali To Be Screened At Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival". FitnHit.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  209. ^ "BAAHUBALI-THE BEGINNING – 2015 HIFF Fall Festival". program.hiff.org. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  210. ^ "Baahubali: The Beginning team heads to Cannes". The Indian Express. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  211. ^ "'Baahubali' nominated for Saturn Awards in five categories". The Indian Express. 27 February 2016. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  212. ^ Yamato, Jen (7 September 2022). "Indian action hit 'RRR' eyes Oscars, sets Beyond Fest S.S. Rajamouli retrospective". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  213. ^ Oddo, Marco Vito (7 September 2022). "Beyond Fest to Feature Special Tollywood Programming With 'RRR' Director S.S. Rajamouli". Collider. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  214. ^ "Rajamouli is an inspiration for all of us: Prashanth Neel". The New Indian Express. 13 April 2022. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022. With his films, he brought immense recognition to South cinema and he is a big source of inspiration to all of us.
  215. ^ Nivedita (8 September 2022). "SS Rajamouli, James Cameron Were Ayan Mukerji's Ideals For Making Brahmastra". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  216. ^ Srinivasan, Latha (30 March 2022). "Inside the mind of SS Rajamouli: Decoding how the RRR director lends scale to his storytelling". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022. Every time someone tells me during a script discussion that doing this or not doing that will make the script a hit film, I always say… how can you be sure, nobody can be, except Rajamouli sir.
  217. ^ Hyman, Dan (16 August 2018). "Matt Groening Just Keeps Going". Esquire. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022. In a given show there might be homages to Buster Keaton and to an Indian filmmaker named S. S. Rajamouli, who has made some of my favorite films of the last decade. I particularly recommend a movie called Magadheera.
  218. ^ "Mani Ratnam Says The Success of SS Rajamouli's Baahubali Inspired Him To Work On 'Ponniyin Selvan'". Outlook. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022. I want to thank Rajamouli garu. In a way, he has opened a door for all of us and has shown us that this kind of film can be made. You can tell stories in two parts and be successful. It has become possible because of Baahubali, so I really want to thank him.
  219. ^ "Mani Ratnam praises SS Rajamouli: Ponniyin Selvan is possible today because of Baahubali". The Times of India. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  220. ^ Dwyer, Rachel (1 April 2022). "Director's Roar – The globalisation of South Indian cinema began with Rajamouli". Open Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022. SS Rajamouli is perhaps India's most significant director today. He can make a film in a south Indian language that, when dubbed, becomes a pan-Indian film that can also be enjoyed overseas.
  221. ^ "Oscar-winning 'RRR' director SS Rajamouli invited to join the Academy Awards as a honorable member". Firstpost. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to S. S. Rajamouli.
Wikiquote has quotations related to S. S. Rajamouli.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=S._S._Rajamouli&oldid=1256378373"