SS Rajamouli: "What really moves me and drives me are big-scale epics"

Director S.S. Rajamouli at the Dakshin: Media & Entertainment Summit in Chennai on April 9, 2022.

One of Indian cinema’s most celebrated directors, S.S. Rajamouli’s films are highly anticipated, thanks to their unique themes and a fresh storytelling formats. His latest film RRR, starring Ram Charan, NTR Jr and Alia Bhatt, is still roaring at the box office having reportedly grossed over Rs 1,000 crore since its worldwide release on March 25, 2022. In an exclusive chat with Moneycontrol, the Baahubali director talks about his craft, films and more:

Quentin Tarantino said before he makes the movie, he watches the movie. Does it all play out in your head too before you shoot your film?

I think it does for every director, not just me. We visually see the movie first - that’s how it is conceived. But a visual in the mind is slightly different from the visual that you see (on screen). Trying to get the impact we have in our mind onto the screen - to translate it - is the whole process of film-making. There are many places that it can go wrong; so we need to continuously check whether the visuals we conceived in our mind are correlating with what we shoot.

Your father, K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, is a renowned screenwriter. How much has he and director K. Raghavendra Rao influenced your filmmaking process?

I haven’t been influenced by them in the screenwriting process. I got the sense of drama from my father when I was working with him as an assistant for four or five years. From Raghavendra garu, I learnt the work culture. Two completely different people who had two completely different influences on me.

You had a penchant for the fantasy action genre and now it is the epic drama genre.

What really moves me and drives me are big-scale epics. That is what excites me. In fact, I can say that that’s the only thing that excites me the most!

Emotions are the core of your films.

Whatever action epic you build, unless you are moved emotionally - the grandeur or visuals - you cannot bring the audience to the theatres again and again. The emotion can be love, revenge or sacrifice; unless it is there at the core, the big epic scenes don’t work.

As an audience member, what would you expect from Rajamouli, the director?

(Laughs) I can’t answer the question directly but I always go back to my younger days. The thrill I used to feel when I entered the theatre, when the lights shut off, the ads played and we impatiently waited for the film to start; I always remember that excitement. Then as the story progresses, the kind of emotional moments I had - either good or bad - always stayed with me. I used to get super-excited when a scene was good and fearful when a scene was not turning out the way I wanted it to. I remember hating films when they weren’t to my liking. I don’t want the audience to feel the same thing about my films. This is a feeling I always have but I don’t think about it during the course of making the film. I only think about how best I can make the film.

You talked about giving your 100 percent to every film and questioning if you do; do you extend that your actors as well? They work on a film with you for several years sometimes.

It’s part of a director’s job to keep the actors interested for a long time, especially when we are making films like RRR where they need to commit for a long duration. This comes from what we have written for them. Initially, we can say it is a fantastic script and you’ll get a good name but these are external things; they fade out quickly. What we can do is write a good character for them, good scenes, good lines - and that will keep their motivation high.

From your first film 'Student No 1' to 'RRR' today, how much do you think you have evolved or changed as a director?

I would say there is a lot of change in understanding my craft. During my initial films, I was quite naive and didn’t have an overall understanding of how films are made or what can be done to maximise the effect of a scene. I don’t say I have a complete understanding even now - in the earlier days I was a rookie but I gradually learnt how to do a better job and be better at my craft. However, the penchant for drama remains the same - right from before my first film till now.

There are many many many bigger things I have envisioned… still a long way to go.

Again, this is something I learnt over the course of time. When we start writing the story, we don’t think of the commerce; we write what comes to our mind and what excites us. As we write, some ideas pop up as to which actor would suit this scene or role. Once the writing is done, we look at the commercial angle. Then some fine-tuning might happen; e.g., if it’s too expensive, we tone it down; if some actors aren’t feasible, then we look for others, etc.

Your films have gotten bigger and larger-than-life over the years. And you have broken a lot of misconceptions about regional cinema. How does that make you feel?

Obviously, very happy and very exhilarated. Let me put it this way - sometimes we have some theories when we know something is not happening the right way. We also know that with some small fine-tuning, those things can be set right. No one believes it because people tend to go down the beaten path. When it is then proven right, it gives you a lot of satisfaction. For a long time I believed that language was just a barrier and if you have a good film that emotionally connects with the audience, it will travel beyond regions. I believed this for a long time but many people around me didn’t believe this. When it was proven right, it was such a big thrill for me.

(Image via Twitter.com/ ssrajamouli)

You have won many accolades and awards. What do they all mean to you? Is that like icing on the cake?

Not at all! (Laughs) It is a weighing stone on your shoulder. I just want to be known as an entertaining filmmaker. I try to forget the awards. (Laughs)

Failure is something that you have not crossed paths with. Does it ever scare you?

I don’t look at it that way. Commercial failure or success, I believe, is not entirely in our hands. There are so many factors, like holidays, mood of the people, marketing, distributors, exhibition system, etc., which are not in our hand and contribute to the success or failure of a movie. I try not to think about that because that is not in our hands. What is in my control is making the film that I want to and in that aspect, I think I constantly face failures and success.

Have you achieved all your childhood dreams yet?

No, not at all! (Laughs) There are many many many bigger things I have envisioned… still a long way to go.

What next for you? RRR2?

(Laughs) My next film which we have already announced is with Mahesh Babu. We are dabbling with some lines that are very exciting. I just need to completely get out of this RRR euphoria before I get into that!

(Image via Twitter.com/ssrajamouli)