Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli ( ; born 10 October 1973) is an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
film director and screenwriter who primarily works in
Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
. He is the
highest paid director in India, and is known for his
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
,
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
, and
epic
Epic commonly refers to:
* Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation
* Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements
Epic or EPIC may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and medi ...
genre films. Three of his films, ''
Baahubali: The Beginning'' (2015), ''
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' (2017), and
''RRR'' (2022) are among the top five
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. He is a recipient of various national and international honors including one
New York Film Critics Circle award
The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magazi ...
, two
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
, three
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
, four
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
, and five
Nandi Awards
The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...
. In 2016, the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
honoured him with the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, for his contributions to the field of Art.
Rajamouli has directed twelve
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
s so far, and all of them were successful at the box office.
''Baahubali 2'' is currently the
highest grossing film in India, and sold over 10
crore
A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...
(100million) tickets during its box office run; the highest estimated admissions for any film in India since ''
Sholay
''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), ...
'' (1975).
The 2009 fantasy action film ''
Magadheera
''Magadheera'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts, on a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film stars Ram Charan, Srihari, Kajal Aggarwal and Dev Gill. ...
'' was the highest-grossing Telugu film ever at the time.
His 2012 film ''
Eega
''Eega'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli. The film was produced by Sai Korrapati Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram with an estimated budget of 30–40 crore (US$6–7 million). It was sim ...
'' won the Most Original Film at the
8th Toronto After Dark Film Festival. ''
Baahubali Bahubali
Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture ('' ...
'' films have received six
Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
nominations, with ''Baahubali 2'' winning the
Best International Film. ''RRR'' is nominated in three categories at the
47th Saturn Awards
The 47th Saturn Awards, officially known as the 50th Anniversary Saturn Awards to celebrate the 50 years of the Saturn Awards (created in 1972), presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films and honoring the best in scien ...
, including a
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
nomination, winning the
Best International Film, and the
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director
The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director is an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle, honoring the finest achievements in filmmaking.
In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the New York Film Critics Circle rarely made the same ...
.
Rajamouli's films are often characterized by their epic grandeur, larger-than-life characters, stylized action sequences, and unbridled
heroism
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
with historical - mythological references. His films are noted for their integration of
CGI with
practical effects
A practical effect is a special effect produced physically, without computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques. In some contexts, "special effect" is used as a synonym of "practical effect", in contrast to "visual effects" ...
. With his
''Baahubali'' films, he has pioneered the
pan-Indian film
Pan-Indian film is a term related to Indian cinema that originated with Telugu cinema as a mainstream commercial film appealing to audiences across the country with a spread to world markets. The movement gained popularity since 2015, post th ...
movement, wherein a film is simultaneously released in multiple Indian languages across the country, and made in a way that appeals to the audience cutting across the linguistic and cultural barriers.
He is also credited for expanding the market of Telugu cinema and
South Indian cinema
The Cinema of South India refers collectively to the six distinct film industries based in Southern region of India namely Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, Kannada, Konkani, and Malayalam. Although these industries developed independently for a long ...
into
North India
North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...
and international markets.
Early life and background
Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli was born on 10 October 1973 in a
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
family in Amareshwara Camp near
Manvi
Manvi is a City in the Raichur district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the municipal headquarters of the Manvi taluk. Manvi Police Station stood fifth in the list of top 10 best police station across the country.
Manvi is governed by a ...
in
Raichur district
Raichur District is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located in the northeast part of the state and is bounded by Yadgir district in the north, Bijapur and Bagalkot district in the northwest, Koppal district ...
of present-day
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
state, to
V. Vijayendra Prasad
Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad is an Indian screenwriter and film director who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He also worked in a few Hindi, Kannada, and Tamil films. His filmography consists of more than twenty five films as a screenwrit ...
and Raja Nandini.
His parents are ardent devotees of
Lord Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. Rajamouli was born after his mother had a dream when she visited the pilgrimage site of
Srisailam
Srisailam is a census town in Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Srisailam mandal in Atmakur revenue division. It is located about from the district headquarters Nandyal, from Kurnool, an ...
. Hence, he was named Srisaila Sri Rajamouli.
He has one sister.
Rajamouli's family hails from
Kovvur
Kovvur is a town in East Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the mandal headquarters of Kovvur mandal in Kovvur revenue division.
Etymology
This Town was earlier referred as ''Govur''.
According ...
near
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Rajah ...
in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
.
His mother's family hails from
Vizag
, image_alt =
, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museum, ...
, Andhra Pradesh and Rajamouli lived there for several years. Rajamouli grew up in a
joint family
An extended family is a family that extends beyond the nuclear family of parents and their children to include aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins or other relatives, all living nearby or in the same household. Particular forms include the stem a ...
his father and his five brothers lived in the same house with their families.
[; Event occurs from 9:46 to 11:42] Prasad's family had lands in Kovvur which were lost when the railways lines were laid through them.
Then, Prasad and his family moved to Karnataka from Kovvur in 1968. He, along with his elder brother K. V. Sivashankar, bought seven
acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
s of paddy fields in
Hirekotikal
Hire Kotnekal is a village in the Manvi taluk of Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka.Village code= 533700 Hire Kotankal, Raichur, Karnataka Hire Kotnekal is located west to Manvi town. Hire Kotnekal lies on road connecting Manvi an ...
village of Manvi Taluk in Raichur district. Their family moved back to Kovvur in 1977.
Rajamouli was educated in Kovvur till fourth standard and then shifted to
Eluru
Eluru is a city and the district headquarters of Eluru district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 14 municipal corporations in the state and the mandal headquarters of Eluru mandal in the Eluru revenue division. The city ...
where he studied till
Intermediate 1st Year. He then took a break of two years and finished his
Intermediate 2nd Year in Kovvur. After that, he did not pursue any further formal education.
Rajamouli was passionate about
storytelling
Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...
right from his second standard.
When he was seven years old, his grandmother introduced him to the
epics
The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is a set of software tools and applications used to develop and implement distributed control systems to operate devices such as particle accelerators, telescopes and other large sci ...
''
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
'', ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
'', and
''Bhagavata''.
At the same age, his father introduced him to ''
Amar Chitra Katha
Amar Chitra Katha (ACK Comics) is an Indian publisher of Indian comics and graphic novels. Most of its comics are based on religious legends and epics, historical figures and biographies, folktales and cultural stories. The company was founded ...
'' comics that featured stories on Indian
historical figure
A historical figure is a significant person in history.
The significance of such figures in human progress has been debated. Some think they play a crucial role, while others say they have little impact on the broad currents of thought and social ...
s, religious legends, and
folktales. It had a huge impact on him and developed his penchant for larger-than-life characters.
He would remember those stories and the films he watched and then re-tell them to his friends in his own way.
His mother was keen on him learning
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and would take him to watch
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
-language films in the nearby towns. She encouraged him to read
comics
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
and
storybooks
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
in his free time and never pressurised him in his academics.
His father recollects about Rajamouli's childhood, "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."
Rajamouli's grandfather was a wealthy landlord who owned 360
acres
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ya ...
of land. By the time Rajamouli was 10 or 11 years old, they lost much of their wealth.
[; Event occurs from 13:02 to 14:24] As his father Vijayendra Prasad and uncle
Siva Shakthi Datta
Koduri Siva Shakthi Datta (born Koduri Subba Rao; 8 October 1932), is an Indian lyricist, screenwriter, and painter who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for writing Sanskrit-based song lyrics in Telugu films. He is the elder brother of scree ...
were passionate about filmmaking, they sold most of their remaining assets and shifted to
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(now Chennai) to make films. They started many films that went unfinished. They faced financial losses and started working as
ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
s to make ends meet.
[; From 3:30 to 6:02] 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.
Later Prasad established himself as a screenwriter with films like ''
Bobbili Simham
'' Bobbili Simham'' () is a 1994 Telugu-language action drama film, produced by Trivikram Rao under the Vijayalakshmi Art Pictures banner and directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Roja, Meena, and music composed by M ...
'' (1994) and ''
Gharana Bullodu
''Gharana Bullodu'' () is a 1995 Telugu-language film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao and written by Vijayendra Prasad. It stars Nagarjuna, Ramya Krishna, Aamani playing the lead roles and music composed by M. M. Keeravani. The film was produc ...
'' (1995).
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.
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
Scene (from Ancient Greek, Greek σκηνή ''skēnḗ'') may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Scene (subculture), a youth subculture from the early 2000s characterized by a distinct music and style. Groups and performers
* The S ...
or shot
Shot may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard
*''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck
*''Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy
* "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus
* ''Shot'' (2017 fi ...
might be. That lowest phase of my life taught me how I should work later on in my career.
Career
Early work
Rajamouli started his film career as an
apprentice
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
to the veteran film editor
Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao is an Indian film editor. In the film industry many call him Chanti Garu. He is the younger brother of Kotagiri Gopala Rao, who died on 6 November 2012, a known film editor and producer, who holds the banner of Giri ...
and worked with him for six months.
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."
He worked at
AVM recording theatre in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
for a few days. He also worked as an assistant director to
Kranthi Kumar
Talasila Kranthi Kumar was an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema.
He won two Filmfare Awards and four Nandi Awards. In 1985, he directed '' Sravanthi'', which won the National Fil ...
for some time. Then, he assisted his father Vijayendra Prasad for six years.
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.
He then shifted to
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
from Chennai and worked with his relative
Gunnam Gangaraju
Gunnam Gangaraju is an Indian producer, screenwriter, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu television. He is best known as the creator and co-producer of the TV sitcom ''Amrutham'' (2001–2007), widely considered to be ...
from whom he learnt about the practical aspect of filmmaking.
Later under the supervision of
K. Raghavendra Rao
Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema besides having directed a few Hindi films. He has garnered four state Nandi Awards and fiv ...
, he directed social message-oriented commercials. He also directed some
advertisements
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
for
Telugu Desam Party
The Telugu Desam Party (; TDP) is an Indian regional political party operating in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at the state and central level. Since its founding by N. T. Rama Rao (often referred to as NTR) on 29 March 1982, the party has foc ...
.
He then worked for one and half years as the director of the Telugu TV
serial ''Santhi Nivasam'' along with Vara Mullapudi which was produced by Raghavendra Rao and aired on
ETV
ETV may stand for:
Television
* e.tv, a South African terrestrial television channel
* Educational Television (Hong Kong), a television series
* Educational television, the use of television in education
* Enhanced TV, an interactive television ap ...
.
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.
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.”
2001–2008: Film debut and breakthrough
In 2001, Raghavendra Rao offered Rajamouli the chance to direct a
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
under his production titled ''
Student No: 1'' which the latter accepted.
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."
[; Event occurs from 24:56 to 26:47] ''Student No:1'' was a
coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
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. The film was a critical and commercial success and was Jr. NTR's first successful film.
It took two years for Rajamouli to come up with his second film ''
Simhadri'' (2003). 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
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
masala film.
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.
In the two-year gap between ''Student No.1'' and ''Simhadri'', Rajamouli planned his first mythological film with Malayalam actor
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
, but the film eventually got shelved. 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. During the same period he was also supposed to direct a fantasy film with
Prakash Kovelamudi
Prakash Rao Kovelamudi is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor known for his works in alternative cinema, across various languages. He is known for works such as Morning Raga (2004), with which he made his Bollywood acting debut. He ...
as the lead but the film was shelved due to financial reasons.
Rajamouli's third film was ''
Sye'' (2004), starring
Nithin
Nithin Kumar Reddy (born 30 March 1983 ), known professionally as Nithiin, is an Indian actor and producer who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. Nithiin's work has earned him one Filmfare Award and two nominations for the Filmfare Award for ...
and
Genelia
Genelia Deshmukh (née D'Souza; born 5 August 1987) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly appears in Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza beg ...
. 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.''"
It was a first-of-its-kind film in
Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
, in that it was based on the sport of
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
. This film was also the first instance where Rajamouli collaborated with
K. K. Senthil Kumar
K. K. Senthil Kumar is an Indian cinematographer who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S.S. Rajamouli. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. ...
who would eventually work with him on seven more films.
''Sye'' was commercially successful and won four
Nandi Awards
The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...
. ''Sye'' made a huge impact on the Telugu
popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
through its popularisation of Rugby to the masses.
His next venture was ''
Chatrapathi'' (2005), an action drama set in Vizag dealing with the plight of refugees. ''Chatrapathi'' starred
Prabhas
Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju (born 23 October 1979), known mononymously as Prabhas (), is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. One of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema, Prabhas has featured in ''Fo ...
in the lead role with music composed by
M. M. Keeravani
Koduri Marakathamani Keeravani (born 4 July 1961; credited as M. M. Keeravani) is an Indian film composer, playback singer, and lyricist, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema along with other languages including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Ma ...
and cinematography by Senthil Kumar. It was Rajamouli's fourth consecutive hit and became one of the highest grossing Telugu films of the year.
In his next project ''
Vikramarkudu
''Vikramarkudu'' is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli who co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film stars Ravi Teja and Anushka Shetty. It follows a thief who discovers a girl insisting he is her ...
'' (2006), Rajamouli worked with
Ravi Teja
Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju (born 26 January 1968), known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian film actor and producer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his roles in action comedy films. He is one of the highest- ...
and
Anushka Shetty
Sweety Shetty (born 7 November 1981), known by her stage name Anushka Shetty, is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil films. She is the recipient of Three Filmfare Awards South, Two Nandi Award, and One Tamil ...
. Rajamouli was attacked during the shooting of the film near
Nanakramguda
Nanakramguda Financial District is an information technology, real estate and architectural suburb in Serlingampally mandal, in Hyderabad, India. The financial district covers an area of about .
History
Nanakramguda and Gachibowli were the are ...
in Hyderabad. He suffered a hairline fracture on his hand and was admitted into a nearby
Apollo hospital
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited is an Indian multinational healthcare group headquartered in Chennai. Along with the eponymous hospital chain, the company also operates pharmacies, primary care and diagnostic centres, telehealth clinics, ...
. ''Vikramarkudu'' was a
breakthrough film for Anushka Shetty. The film was screened at the
International Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...
in the mainstream section. The film was a big success and was remade into several Indian languages including
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
as ''
Veera Madakari
''Ee Shatamaanada Veera Madakari'' (also known as ''Veera Madakari'') is a 2009 Indian Kannada-language action film directed by Sudeep. The film features Sudeep in a double role alongside debutant Ragini Dwivedi in the lead roles. The film feat ...
'' (2009), Tamil as ''
Siruthai
''Siruthai'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Siva. It is a remake of the 2006 Telugu film ''Vikramarkudu'', directed by S. S. Rajamouli. It stars Karthi playing dual roles, alongside Tamannaah and comedia ...
'' (2011), and
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
as ''
Rowdy Rathore
''Rowdy Rathore'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Prabhu Deva and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ronnie Screwvala under the UTV Motion Pictures and Bhansali Productions banners. A remake of the 2006 Telugu f ...
'' (2012).
He then directed ''
Yamadonga
''Yamadonga'' ( Big Thief ''or'' Thief of Yama) is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action comedy film directed by S.S. Rajamouli who co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad. It stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Mohan Babu, Priyamani, and M ...
'' (2007), a fantasy action comedy film starring
Jr NTR
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr. (born 20 May 1983), also known as Jr. N.T.R. or Tarak, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu cinema. One of the highest paid Telugu film actors, Rama Rao Jr. has won several accolades, including two Fil ...
,
Priyamani
Priya Vasudev Mani Iyer (born 4 June 1984), known by her professional name Priyamani, is an Indian actress and former model, who works in the South Indian film industry. She is a recipient of Several Awards.
Priyamani made her acting debut t ...
,
Mohan Babu
Manchu Bhakthavatsalam, credited and also known as Mohan Babu, is an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. An alumnus of the Madras Film Institute, Mohan Babu has acted in more than 500 films in lead, sup ...
, and
Mamata Mohandas. The plot follows Raja, a thief who is killed by his rivals. Raja's soul travels to
Naraka
Naraka ( sa, नरक) is the realm of hell in Indian religions. According to some schools of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism, ''Naraka'' is a place of torment. The word ''Neraka'' (modification of ''Naraka'') in Indonesian and Malaysia ...
(hell) to face the trail for his sins by
Yama
Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...
, 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.
Rajamouli started his own
production company
A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and ...
Visvamithra Creations named after the ancient Indian sage
Visvamitra. Prabhas acted as Visvamitra for the logo shoot of the company. ''Yamadonga'' was produced under the Visvamithra Creations banner but the producers were Cherry and Urmila Gunnam with
Rama Rajamouli
Rama Rajamouli is an Indian costume designer and film stylist who primarily works in Telugu cinema. Rama made her debut with the 2004 film '' Sye''. She is known for her work in the films ''Magadheera'' (2009), ''Eega'' (2012), '' Baahubali: T ...
presenting the film.
2009–2014: Critical acclaim and recognition
Rajamouli's next venture was the fantasy-action film ''
Magadheera
''Magadheera'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts, on a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film stars Ram Charan, Srihari, Kajal Aggarwal and Dev Gill. ...
'' (2009), starring
Ram Charan
Konidela Ram Charan Teja (born 27 March 1985) is an Indian actor, producer, and entrepreneur who works predominantly in Telugu films. One of the highest-paid Telugu film actors, he is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards and two Nandi Award ...
and
Kajal Aggarwal
Kajal Aggarwal (born 19 June 1985) is an Indian actress and model who mainly appears in Telugu and Tamil language films, in addition to a few Hindi films. Aggarwal has worked in more than 50 films and also received two South Indian Internatio ...
. Made on a budget of 3544 crore (US$710 million), it was the most expensive Telugu film at the time. 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
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
and was the highest-grossing Telugu film at the end of its theatrical run.
For ''Magadheera'', Rajamouli won the
Nandi Award for Best Director
Nandi may refer to:
People
* Nandy (surname), Indian surname
* Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe
* Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi
* Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...
and
Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu
The Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu is presented by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Telugu films. The awards were extended to "Best Director" in 1972. Film world, p 43 Superlatives
*K. Visw ...
. The film also won the
National Award
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...
for
Best Choreography
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and choreographer of the music video. From 1984 to 2007, the full name of the award was Best Choreography in a Video. The biggest winner ...
and
Best Special Effects at the
57th National Film Awards
The 57th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2009.
Three different committee ...
and a total of six
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
and nine
Nandi Awards
The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...
. The film's success catapulted both the leads into stardom.
''Magadheera'' was dubbed into
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
as ''Maaveeran'' and into
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
as ''Dheera: The Warrior'' and was released on 27 May 2011.
Both the dubbed versions were successful and earned a good fan base for Ram Charan in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
and
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
.
The
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
-dubbed version of the film released in August 2018 and became one of the highest-grossing Indian films ever at the Japanese box office.
In 2010 he directed the action comedy film ''
Maryada Ramanna
''Maryada Ramanna'' is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language action comedy drama film co-written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli. The film is produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works. The film stars Sunil, Saloni and ...
'' starring
Sunil and
Saloni. Rajamouli watched the 1923 silent comedy film ''
Our Hospitality
''Our Hospitality'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by Buster Keaton and John G. Blystone. Starring Keaton, Joe Roberts, and Natalie Talmadge and distributed by Metro Pictures Corporation, it uses slapstick and situational comed ...
'' 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
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
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
Rayalaseema () is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises eight south western districts of the State namely, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts ...
backdrop focusing on the factional violence and hospitality that co-existed in the region.
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''."
''Maryada Ramanna'' opened to favourable reviews from critics. It became one of the highest grossing Telugu films of 2010.
It received four
Nandi Awards
The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...
, including
Best Popular Feature Film. ''Maryada Ramanna'' was remade in Hindi as ''
Son of Sardaar
''Son of Sardaar'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Ashwni Dhir. A remake of 2010 Telugu film ''Maryada Ramanna'' directed by S. S. Rajamouli, it featured Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha and Juhi Chawla ...
'' and into other languages like Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, and Malayalam.
In 2012 Rajamouli stated in an interview with Maa TV that ''Maryada Ramanna'' was his personal favourite among all the films he had directed.
![Sudeep and Nani on the sets of Eega](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Sudeep_and_Nani_on_the_sets_of_Eega.jpg)
His next project was the
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
''
Eega
''Eega'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli. The film was produced by Sai Korrapati Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram with an estimated budget of 30–40 crore (US$6–7 million). It was sim ...
'' (2012). The film was produced by
Sai Korrapati
Korrapati Ranganatha Sai, better known as Sai Korrapati, is an Indian film producer and distributor who works predominantly in Telugu cinema .
Early life and career
He is born in Guntur. He ventured into Telugu film distribution in 1999 with S ...
Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram
Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram () is a leading Indian film production house in India that produces Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script ...
with an estimated budget of 30–40
crore
A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...
(
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
6–7 million). It was simultaneously filmed in
Tamil language
Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...
with the title ''Naan Ee'' (). The film stars
Sudeep
Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1971), also known as Sudeepa, is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, television presenter and singer, who primarily works in Kannada films. He has also worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. He i ...
,
Nani, and
Samantha
Samantha (or the alternatively Samanta) is primarily used as a feminine given name. It was recorded in England in 1633 in Newton Regis, Warwickshire. It was also recorded in the 18th century in New England, but its etymology is uncertain.
Specu ...
.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.
After completing ''Maryada Ramanna'', Rajamouli reconsidered the concept after thinking of directing a film that was distinct from any other.
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.
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.
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.
''Eega'' was screened at various international film festivals including the
2013 Cannes Film Festival
The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and S ...
. The Telugu version won nine awards, including Most Original Film at the
8th annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
''Eega'' won two
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
(
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
Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award a ...
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". ''Eega'' was listed among "The 25 Best Foreign Films of the Decade" by
The Ringer.
2015–present'':'' Pan-Indian and international acclaim
![Working Stills Bahubali With Rajamouli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Working_Stills_Bahubali_With_Rajamouli.jpg)
In 2015, he directed the
epic
Epic commonly refers to:
* Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation
* Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements
Epic or EPIC may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and medi ...
action film ''
Baahubali: The Beginning'' starring
Prabhas
Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju (born 23 October 1979), known mononymously as Prabhas (), is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. One of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema, Prabhas has featured in ''Fo ...
,
Rana Daggubati
Ramanaidu "Rana" Daggubati (; born 14 December 1984) is an Indian actor and producer known primarily for his work in Telugu language films, in addition to Hindi and Tamil languages. Rana is described as one of the few actors in India who were ...
,
Anushka Shetty
Sweety Shetty (born 7 November 1981), known by her stage name Anushka Shetty, is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil films. She is the recipient of Three Filmfare Awards South, Two Nandi Award, and One Tamil ...
, and
Tamanna. The film was shot using
Arri Alexa XT camera, marking Rajamouli's first film shot using a digital camera.
Rajamouli's work was lauded by ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' and ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''. It became the second
highest grossing Indian film of all time, and the highest grossing Indian film of all time within India. 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
The 69th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian director George Miller was the President of the Jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and closing ceremonies. On 15 Marc ...
. The making of the film was featured in
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
's documentary on 100 Years of Indian cinema, directed by
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Two sketch comedy series '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and as the star of the sitcom '' The Kumars at No. 42''. ...
.
''Baahubali: The Beginning'' received
several awards. It won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film
The National Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one of sev ...
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 63rd Filmfare Awards South ceremony honouring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian film industry, South Indian cinema in 2015 is an event held on 18 June 2016 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre.
List of nominee ...
, the Telugu version won five awards from ten nominations, including
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
and
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
award for Rajamouli. It became the first Indian film to be nominated for
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
, receiving five nominations at the
42nd ceremony, including
Best Fantasy Film.
In 2015, Rajamouli was named as the
CNN-News18 Indian of the Year
CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides internationa ...
in Entertainment.
In 2016, he was honoured with the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, India's fourth highest civilian honour for his contributions towards the field of Art.
![Baahubali_cast](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Baahubali_cast.jpg)
His next project was ''
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' (2017), which served as both a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
and a
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
to ''Baahubali: The Beginning''. The film was premiered at the British Film Institute.
It was made on an estimated budget of ($37 million) 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
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
,
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
,
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
,
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
. Released in conventional 2D and IMAX formats, ''Baahubali 2'' was the first Telugu film to also release in 4K High Definition format.
Grossing worldwide ($267 million), the film surpassed ''
PK'' (2014) to briefly become the
highest grossing Indian film of all time, collecting approximately worldwide within just six days of its release. It became the first-ever Indian film to gross over
, 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,
the
second highest-grossing Indian film worldwide and the
39th highest-grossing film of 2017. The film sold over 10
crore
A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...
(100million) tickets during its box office run, the highest estimated admissions for any film in India since ''
Sholay
''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), ...
'' (1975).
''Baahubali 2'' released to positive reviews from critics. It won the
Saturn Award for Best International Film
The Saturn Award for Best International Film is one of the annual awards given by the American professional organization, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The Saturn Awards, which are the oldest film-specialized awards to rew ...
and three
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
:
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 film
Pan-Indian film is a term related to Indian cinema that originated with Telugu cinema as a mainstream commercial film appealing to audiences across the country with a spread to world markets. The movement gained popularity since 2015, post th ...
s 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.
Several filmmakers and film analysts have credited Rajamouli for almost single-handedly expanding the reach and market of
South Indian cinema
The Cinema of South India refers collectively to the six distinct film industries based in Southern region of India namely Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, Kannada, Konkani, and Malayalam. Although these industries developed independently for a long ...
to Northern India and beyond.
Rajamouli's subsequent film
''RRR'' (2022) is a period drama based on the lives of Indian revolutionaries,
Alluri Sitarama Raju
Alluri Sitarama Raju (4 July 1897 or 1898 – 7 May 1924) was an Indian revolutionary, who waged an armed campaign against the British colonial rule in India. Born in present-day Andhra Pradesh, he was involved in opposing the British in res ...
and
Komaram Bheem
Komaram Bheem (1900/1901–1940), alternatively Kumram Bheem, was a revolutionary leader in Hyderabad State of British India from the Gond tribes. Bheem, in association with other Gond leaders, led a protracted low intensity rebellion against ...
. Made on a budget of est. 550 crore (US$72 million),
it is the
most expensive Indian film ever made. The film stars NTR Jr, Ram Charan,
Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt (; born 15 March 1993) is a British actress of Indian descent who predominantly works in Hindi films. She has received several accolades including four Filmfare Awards. One of India's highest-paid actresses, she has appeared in ''F ...
, and
Ajay Devgn
Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Devgn has appeared in over a hundred films and has won numerous accolades, including four ...
. ''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
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...
, grossing over ₹400 crore (US$52 million) and surpassing Rajamouli's previous film
''Baahubali 2''. The film grossed ₹1,150–1,200 crore (US$150–160 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
The 47th Saturn Awards, officially known as the 50th Anniversary Saturn Awards to celebrate the 50 years of the Saturn Awards (created in 1972), presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films and honoring the best in scien ...
including a
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
nomination for Rajamouli. It was also nominated in
Best Action / Adventure Film and
Best International Film categories.
Upcoming projects
Rajamouli is committed to collaborate with actor
Mahesh Babu
Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu (born 9 August 1975) is an Indian actor, producer, media personality, and philanthropist who works mainly in Telugu cinema. He has appeared in more than 25 films, and won several accolades including, eight Nandi Award ...
. The film, touted to be a jungle adventure set in Africa, is expected to begin its production in 2023. While attending the
2022 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, the 47th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, is scheduled to be held from September 8 to 18, 2022.
Festival organizers have indicated that the 2022 festival will be staged primar ...
, 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
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
or
Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
film with Indian roots.” In September 2022, he signed with the American talent agency
Creative Artists Agency
Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 emplo ...
(CAA) in a move that has been described as a "coup for the agency".
There were also reports of him planning a live-action animated film rooted in Indian content. In August 2022, he revealed that he was working on a couple of scripts that would be suitable to be made as
animation films.
Rajamouli frequently speaks about his intention to make a film based on the Indian epic ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
'' in the future.
He thinks it will be at least a four-part project requiring a time period of six to ten years. 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 star
A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and w ...
s. "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.
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."
He also expressed his wish on several occasions to make films on the historical rulers
Sri Krishnadevaraya
Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the g ...
,
Rajaraja Narendra
Rajaraja Narendra () was the Eastern Chalukya king of the Vengi kingdom in South India. Rajaraja Narendra established the city Rajahmahendravaram. His period was famous for Social and Cultural heritage. During the time of Rajaraja Chola I, Raj ...
,
Kakatiyas
The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was an Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries. Th ...
,
Rani Abbakka.
Personal life
In 2022, during a talk at a
Film festival
A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...
in the
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
, Rajamouli stated that he is not a Hindu in the sense of religion, however, considering it as
Dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
, he is 'very much'
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
. "I am a follower of
Hindu dharma
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global pop ...
", he said.
Rajamouli married
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
,
sister-in-law
A sibling-in-law is the spouse of one's sibling, or the sibling of one's spouse, or the person who is married to the sibling of one's spouse.Cambridge Dictionaries Online.Family: non-blood relations.
More commonly, a sibling-in-law is referred ...
of his cousin
Keeravani
Keeravani (pronounced ) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 21st ''Melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. The 21st ''melakarta'' rāgam as per Muthuswami D ...
in 2001.
After their marriage, Rama worked as a
costume designer
A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...
for many of Rajamouli's films. He adopted Karthikeya, Rama's son from her previous marriage. The couple also has an adopted daughter Mayookha.
Karthikeya is married to Pooja Prasad, niece of Telugu actor
Jagapathi Babu
Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Rao Chowdary (born 12 February 1962), professionally known as Jagapathi Babu (), is an Indian actor known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in a few Tamil, , Kannada and Malayalam films. ...
.
Rajamouli's cousin,
M. M. Keeravani
Koduri Marakathamani Keeravani (born 4 July 1961; credited as M. M. Keeravani) is an Indian film composer, playback singer, and lyricist, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema along with other languages including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Ma ...
has worked as the
music composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
for all of his films. His other cousins
Kalyani Malik
Kalyani Malik is an Indian music director and playback singer in Telugu cinema. Since achieving recognition through Chandra Sekhar Yeleti's film ''Aithe'' (2003), Malik has provided musical scores for many other films. His most recent works are ...
and
M. M. Srilekha
M. M. Srilekha (born Koduri Srilekha) is an Indian film playback singer and music composer, known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema. She is the only female music composer in the Telugu film industry. Her paternal uncle V. Vijayendra ...
are also music composers. S. S. Kanchi, a screenwriter and actor known for his role in the
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''Amrutham'' is also one of his cousins. He collaborated with Rajamouli as a
script doctor
A script doctor is a writer or playwright hired by a film, television, or theatre production company to rewrite an existing script or improve specific aspects of it, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, themes, and other elemen ...
on many of his films and also acted in four of his films.
Raja Koduri
Raja M. Koduri (Rajabali Makaradhwaja Koduri) is an Indian-American computer engineer and executive for computer graphics hardware. He is currently the chief architect and senior vice president of Intel's architecture, graphics and software (IAGS ...
, a senior vice-president at
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
is also a cousin of his.
Rajamouli considers
K. Raghavendra Rao
Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema besides having directed a few Hindi films. He has garnered four state Nandi Awards and fiv ...
as his guru and mentor.
He called
Gunnam Gangaraju
Gunnam Gangaraju is an Indian producer, screenwriter, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu television. He is best known as the creator and co-producer of the TV sitcom ''Amrutham'' (2001–2007), widely considered to be ...
his philosopher and guide who made an impact on his
worldview
A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural p ...
.
Rajamouli is nicknamed ''Jakkanna'' after the legendary 12th century sculptor
Jakanachari
Jakanachari was a legendary Indian sculptor credited with building many fine temples for the Kalyani Chalukyas and Hoysalas. He is popularly known by the epithet ''Amarashilpi'' ().
His life
Jakanachari was born in a small village call ...
(known in Telugu as Jakkanna) who is credited with building numerous temples during the
Hoysala
The Hoysala Empire was a Kannada people, Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, India, Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially loca ...
reign. The moniker was coined by actor
Rajeev Kanakala
Rajeev Kanakala (born 13 November 1968) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu films and television. He started his career in television serials and short films, where he not only acted but also produced and directed. He is marrie ...
during the making of the TV serial ''Santhi Nivasam'' ( 2000) directed by Rajamouli and was in reference to his
work ethic
Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. It is a set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by determination o ...
and
perfectionism like the famed sculptor.
Regarding his religious views he noted in a March 2022 interview, "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'." At Beyond Fest 2022 in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Rajamouli noted that he is not a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
in a religious sense; but, added that he is a follower of Hindu
dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
, as a way of life and philosophy.
In 2017,
Chandrababu Naidu
Nara Chandrababu Naidu ( born 20 April 1950) is an Indian politician and current leader of opposition of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He was also the leader of the opposition of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 2004 to ...
, then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh consulted Rajamouli for inputs on the design of
Amaravati
Amaravati () is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Krishna in Guntur district.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone at a ceremonial event in Uddandar ...
, the proposed capital of the state.
Cinematic sensibility
Film critic
Baradwaj Rangan
Baradwaj Rangan is an Indian film critic, writer, and formerly the deputy editor of ''The Hindu''. He later became a senior editor of Film Companion. Rangan won the National Film Award for Best Film Critic in 2006. Before joining ''The Hindu'' ...
opinied that, “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.”
Production designer
Sabu Cyril
Sabu Cyril is an Indian film production designer. Having worked in 116 feature films and 2500 add films. He has won four National Film Award for Best Production Design, four state awards, six Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction (including sout ...
, a four-time National Award winner for Best Art Direction, who worked for the ''
Baahubali Bahubali
Bahubali (), a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabadeva (the first ''tirthankara'' of Jainism) and the brother of Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for a year in a standing posture ('' ...
'' duology, said his team came up with as many as 25,000 sketches to design the various grand sets for the film to meet up to the standards of Rajamouli, whose “visualisation is grand and, at the same time, goes into very minute details. He ensured that every pillar and wall had the right design. He makes no compromises.”
Recognition
Rajamouli was cited as an influence by directors like
Prashanth Neel
Prashanth Neelakantapuram (born 4 June 1980) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in the Kannada film industry. He made his debut with the 2014 Kannada film, ''Ugramm'' and later directed the two-part film series: '' ...
and
Ayan Mukerji
Ayan Mukerji (born 15 August 1983) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Hindi films. Mukerji made his directorial debut at the age of 26 with the coming-of-age comedy ''Wake Up Sid'' (2009). The film opened to stron ...
. Prashanth Neel noted, "With his films, he brought immense recognition to
South cinema and he is a big source of inspiration to all of us.” Ayan Mukerji cited Rajamouli as one of his two gurus in the filmmaking world along with
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
. He noted that there is a lot of Rajamouli’s influence on his film ''
Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva'' (2022). Filmmaker and actor
Rahul Ravindran
Rahul Ravindran (born 23 June 1981) is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works in Telugu films. He made his lead debut in the Tamil film '' Moscowin Kavery'' (2010), before playing leading roles as a man with cerebral palsy in '' ...
says, "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.”
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is the creator of the comic strip ''Life in Hell'' (1977–2012) and the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Fut ...
, the creator of the television shows ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' and ''
Futurama
''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
'' while discussing his inspiration for ''
Disenchantment
In social science, disenchantment (german: Entzauberung) is the cultural rationalization and devaluation of religion apparent in modern society. The term was borrowed from Friedrich Schiller by Max Weber to describe the character of a moderni ...
'' mentioned that Rajamouli had made some of his favourite films of the last decade especially ''Magadheera''. He added that the show has
homages to Rajamouli. Noted filmmaker
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
mentioned that the success of ''Baahubali'' inspired him to work on ''
Ponniyin Selvan: I.'' He said'','' "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."
Film trade analyst
Komal Nahta
Komal Nahta (born 30 April 1964) is an Indian film trade analyst. Nahta is the publisher of "Film Information" and also a television show host. He is an anchor of the trade show ETC Bollywood Business on the Bollywood TV channels ETC and Zee Cinem ...
told ''
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
'', “Rajamouli has an impeccable track record. Every film of his has worked … It would not be wrong to say that he’s the biggest
ndian film director
Ndian is a Departments of Cameroon, department of Southwest Region, Cameroon, Southwest Region in Cameroon. It is located in the humid tropical rainforest zone about southeast of Yaoundé, the capital.
History
Ndian division was formed in 197 ...
ever.”
Manoj Kumar R of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
'' writes, "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."''
'' Latha Srinivasan of ''
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Raghav ...
'' wrote of him, "A filmmaker whose actors and producers have blind faith in knowing he will not let them or the audience down, and can dedicate years to his project. And this is an extremely hard feat to achieve in this day and age when every actor and director is as good as his last film."
Sagar Tetali of ''
Film Companion
Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
'' noted, "What they
ajamouli's filmshave meant for Telugu cinema is the triumph of directorial ambition over the actor-star — the triumph of a brand of storytelling over the
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
n star image."
Rachel Dwyer
Rachel Dwyer is a professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, University of London.
Life
Dwyer took her BA in Sanskrit at SOAS, followed by an MPhil in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology at the University of Oxford. Her PhD resear ...
, professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at
SOAS University of London
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...
notes of him, "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." She adds, "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." Indira Kannan, a film critic noted, "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.
Pan-Indian films
Through his
''Baahubali'' films, Rajamouli is credited with pioneering the
pan-Indian film
Pan-Indian film is a term related to Indian cinema that originated with Telugu cinema as a mainstream commercial film appealing to audiences across the country with a spread to world markets. The movement gained popularity since 2015, post th ...
s 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.
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 calls him the 'original Pan India filmmaker' and the 'most successful Pan India filmmaker'.
Vijay Kiragandur
Hombale Films (pronunciation: Hom-Baa-Lay) is an Indian film production company mainly known for the ''K.G.F'' franchise and blockbuster film Kantara. It was founded by Vijay Kiragandur.
History
Hombale Films was founded by Vijay Kiragan ...
, the producer of the ''KGF'' films which were huge hits across the country credits Rajamouli for making ''Baahubali'' films and giving him the confidence to take ''
KGF: Chapter 1'' to audiences across the country with a multi-lingual release.
Filmography
Film
Rajamouli has directed 12
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
s so far.
Television
Awards and honours
Rajamouli is a recipient of various awards including three
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
, four
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
, and five state
Nandi Awards
The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...
. ''Baahubali: The Beginning'' won the
Best Feature Film
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporatio ...
at the
63rd National Film Awards
The 63rd National Film Awards was an award ceremony during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2015 in Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 28 March 2016 ...
and became the first Telugu film to ever win the award. ''Baahubali 2: The Conclusion'' won the
Best Popular Film at the
65th National Film Awards
The 65th National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2017 in Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 13 April 2018. The awar ...
. In 2012, ''Eega'' won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu
The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...
. ''Baahubali: The Beginning'' became the first Indian film to be nominated for
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
, receiving five nominations at the
42nd ceremony, including
Best Fantasy Film. ''Baahubali 2'' won the
Saturn Award for Best International Film
The Saturn Award for Best International Film is one of the annual awards given by the American professional organization, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The Saturn Awards, which are the oldest film-specialized awards to rew ...
and was the first Indian film ever to win a Saturn Award.
His films have been screened at various film festivals such as
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
,
Shanghai International Film Festival
The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia.
"China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...
,
Busan International Film Festival
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...
,
Sitges Film Festival
The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...
among others. A retrospective of Rajamouli's films will be 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.
In 2015, Rajamouli was named as the
CNN-News18 Indian of the Year
CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides internationa ...
in Entertainment.
The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
honoured him with
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
in 2016, for his contributions to the field of Art.
; Civilian Honours
;
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
;
Nandi Awards (Andhra Pradesh State Film Awards)
;
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...
;
IIFA Utsavam
The annual IIFA Utsavam rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. The ceremony is organised by Wizcraft International, the team behind the IIFA Awards, and represents Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, Malayalam ...
;
South Indian International Movie Awards
South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appreci ...
;
CineMAA Awards
The CineMAA Awards are presented annually by the Maa TV Group to honour artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Telugu Cinema. The awards were introduced in 2004. The CineMAA Awards are voted for by both the public and a commit ...
;Other Honours
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajamouli, S. S.
Filmfare Awards South winners
21st-century Indian film directors
Indian atheists
Living people
Telugu people
Nandi Award winners
Telstra People's Choice Award winners
CineMAA Awards winners
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Telugu film directors
People from Raichur district
Directors who won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment National Film Award
1973 births
Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award
People from West Godavari district
Telugu screenwriters
Indian screenwriters
Telugu male actors
Indian male actors
21st-century Indian male actors
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Indian film producers
Telugu film producers
Indian television talk show hosts
Indian voice actors