SS Rajamouli has gained the greatest international acclaim of any Indian director. It’s difficult to remember the last time Indian filmmakers had such success with the general global audience.
Today is SS Rajamouli’s 49th birthday. But who is SS Rajamouli, the filmmaker who has been defying stereotypes and borders one movie at a time? He was found with Simhadri in South Indian states outside of the then-unified Andhra Pradesh. He and Baahubali were found by the entire nation. After RRR, the rest of the world learned his name. Rajamouli’s rising trajectory to become a worldwide success with storylines that are intrinsically entrenched is unprecedented. Now there’s a chance Rajamouli will direct a Hollywood movie in his outrageous, defining manner. The United States Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which represents actors including Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Zendaya, Ava DuVernay, and Ryan Murphy, to mention a few, have signed him. The best resources Hollywood has to offer are now easier for the filmmaker to access because of CAA’s support.
Rajamouli is already extremely well-liked in Japan as a result of Baahubali: The Conclusion. The fantasy drama from 2018 became a worldwide success, not just in Japan but also in India. Over 100 days passed while the movie was in theatres. Rajamouli is currently devoting his time and energy to giving RRR a significant release in Japan in order to capitalize on his rising fame. On October 21, RRR is scheduled to make its Japanese box office debut, and the buzz it creates there will undoubtedly support the movie’s ongoing Oscar campaign.
RRR is being marketed as a fan favorite among Oscar hopefuls, despite a sizable number of detractors. Dylan Marchetti of Variance Films is in charge of the movie’s award and theatrical campaigns. He describes RRR as more than just “the best Indian film of the year.” The world’s best film of the year is this one. The movie’s backers believe that the greatest campaign plan is to get as many Academy voters to see this opulent action drama on the big screen in a jam-packed theatre. They continue to conduct the #encoRRRe program as part of this campaign to screen the movie in theatres across the US. With the movie already being made accessible for streaming for a global audience on Netflix at the time, this event was started earlier in June to provide the American audience “one last chance” to see the movie on the large screen. The movie developed organic popularity in the US after a low-key release there, which was astounding and astonishing.
Every time RRR is screened, its popularity increases on a global scale. The recent Beyond Fest showing of the movie at the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles generated a lot of buzzes. In Rajamouli’s presence, nearly 900 people viewed the movie on the IMAX screen. The way spectators outside of India reacted to the film shocked even the director.
SS Rajamouli is quickly overtaking other Indian directors as the most well-known in the world. It’s difficult to remember the last time Indian filmmakers had such success with the general global audience. He demonstrated that it is not always necessary to create a realistic and “clean” film in order to succeed in the global marketplace. You can achieve this achievement by making films that are shamelessly aimed at the general public.
Unquestionably, Rajamouli’s international success has had an impact on Indian cinema. Mani Ratnam admits that Rajamouli gave him the confidence to divide his beloved film Ponniyin Selvan into two parts. The vastness of the novel was one of the many obstacles that prevented Ratnam from producing Ponniyin Selvan for decades. Since Baahubali, the practice of slicing a film into numerous parts—once regarded as a dangerous move—has become a surefire way to achieve enormous box office success in India.
What is it about SS Rajamouli’s narrative that is changing the Indian cinema industry’s entire landscape? Without revisiting Rajamouli’s earlier films and searching for hints in them, the question cannot be resolved. In order to comprehend what motivates Rajamouli as a storyteller, Indianexpress.com will publish a series of career retrospective articles. This exercise is intended to highlight some repeating themes, clichés, and cinematic characteristics that Rajamouli has developed over the past 20 years to get to where he is today.
