Stars bring audiences to theatres but ultimately story runs the show S S Rajamouli
New Delhi Dec 27 PTI For Baahubali director SS Rajamouli the key to making a true pan Indian film is not about bringing big stars from different industries together as the filmmaker says it is important to have a story that connects universally sometimes without even dialoguesThe director who is back with another mega-budget multi-starrer in RRR five years after the release of the second part of Baahubali says he is someone who believes its the story and not stars who ultimately run the show in a pan Indian filmA pan Indian film does not mean that actors from different languages come together A pan Indian film means a story that connects to everyone irrespective of the language While creating a story I think if I switch off this dialogue portion will the audience still connect to my movie Many times the answer is a yes Rajamouli told PTI in a Zoom interview from HyderabadThe 48-year-old director said it is easy to be regional when there are big stars in the film as one can easily play to the gallery but one should not fall into this trapIf your basic storyline is about universal emotions then you have to build up the scenes that way not to the stars status The actor in the star should be able to support your movie I always believe stars are there to bring the audiences to the theatres but once they are there it is the story that runs the show not stars he addedA pre-Independence fictional story woven around two real Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s — Alluri Sitarama Raju Ram Charan and Komaram Bheem N T Rama Rao Jr RRR also features Ajay Devgn Alia Bhatt and Olivia MorrisRajamouli said he did not approach Bhatt or Devgn because it was an economically viable option but because their presence was essential to his filmThe director said he always wanted to do a fictional story on a real hero and the timelines of Raju and Bheems revolt were so similar that he thought this would be a perfect story to set up his filmEven though the film is inspired by freedom fighters and the Independence struggle it is not about patriotism but the friendship between these two heroes and how they inspire each other to grow Because it is a fictional story I did not go too much into the authenticity in terms of their clothes and the way they speak he saidWhat connects the universe of Baahubali and RRR is the theme of fighting against oppression Rajamouli saidI dont analyse my films too much but if I look back yes oppression and the rise against it is a very strong human emotion I love weaving stories around oppression and uprising The director said he is aware that those who have watched Baahubali will expect something similar with RRR though both the stories are differentIm aware that people who have gone and watched Baahubali would be expecting a similar thing with my next film RRR in this instance But I dont get bogged down by that When people say we need another Baahubali what they really mean is that they want a similar experience with what they had with Baahubali Asked about the instructions he gives to his actors especially about their physical appearance in the film the director said he narrates his story in a way that actors understand whats required of themI dont tell the actors that you have to build your body but when I narrate scenes they understand they have to be physically and mentally fit to ace those scenes If I tell NTR Jr that your first action sequence is with a tiger he understands what he needs to do If I tell Charan your intro scene is with multiple fighters he understands what he needs to do he saidThe director said having worked with both the actors in the past they were on the same page when it came to their performanceHe however is looking forward to the dubbing they have done for the film in four languages Hindi Tamil Kannada and TeluguFor RRR Rajamouli has once again collaborated with his father writer K V Vijayendra Prasad best known for Bajrangi Bhaijaan Baahubali and Manikarnika The Queen of JhansiThe director praised his father for his penchant for creating dramatic scenes with great flourishFrom a young age I had this vivid imagination When my father started working he would tell us scenes he had developed and I would amp them up in my own way He realised I have something in me and asked me to join him as an assistant Rajamouli said after assisting his father for five years they developed a shorthand about how their individual minds workedHes the best story writer I know He wrote almost all of my films except one or two We understand each other well But as a writer-director it is me who dictates the scenes We have our own share of arguments and quarrels The COVID pandemic delayed the film by a year but the director took it in his stride saying it only gave him more time to polish the filmNow that the release date is near Rajamouli said he is going through emotions of anxiety and excitementI always say that before the release of a film my mind is split in two on one side there is the confidence that it is going to do well and on the other side it is anxious and full of questions like will it really do as well as I expect RRR will arrive in theatres on January 7 PTI BK RDS RDS
New Delhi Dec 27 PTI For Baahubali director SS Rajamouli the key to making a true pan Indian film is not about bringing big stars from different industries together as the filmmaker says it is important to have a story that connects universally sometimes without even dialoguesThe director who is back with another mega-budget multi-starrer in RRR five years after the release of the second part of Baahubali says he is someone who believes its the story and not stars who ultimately run the show in a pan Indian filmA pan Indian film does not mean that actors from different languages come together A pan Indian film means a story that connects to everyone irrespective of the language While creating a story I think if I switch off this dialogue portion will the audience still connect to my movie Many times the answer is a yes Rajamouli told PTI in a Zoom interview from HyderabadThe 48-year-old director said it is easy to be regional when there are big stars in the film as one can easily play to the gallery but one should not fall into this trapIf your basic storyline is about universal emotions then you have to build up the scenes that way not to the stars status The actor in the star should be able to support your movie I always believe stars are there to bring the audiences to the theatres but once they are there it is the story that runs the show not stars he addedA pre-Independence fictional story woven around two real Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s — Alluri Sitarama Raju Ram Charan and Komaram Bheem N T Rama Rao Jr RRR also features Ajay Devgn Alia Bhatt and Olivia MorrisRajamouli said he did not approach Bhatt or Devgn because it was an economically viable option but because their presence was essential to his filmThe director said he always wanted to do a fictional story on a real hero and the timelines of Raju and Bheems revolt were so similar that he thought this would be a perfect story to set up his filmEven though the film is inspired by freedom fighters and the Independence struggle it is not about patriotism but the friendship between these two heroes and how they inspire each other to grow Because it is a fictional story I did not go too much into the authenticity in terms of their clothes and the way they speak he saidWhat connects the universe of Baahubali and RRR is the theme of fighting against oppression Rajamouli saidI dont analyse my films too much but if I look back yes oppression and the rise against it is a very strong human emotion I love weaving stories around oppression and uprising The director said he is aware that those who have watched Baahubali will expect something similar with RRR though both the stories are differentIm aware that people who have gone and watched Baahubali would be expecting a similar thing with my next film RRR in this instance But I dont get bogged down by that When people say we need another Baahubali what they really mean is that they want a similar experience with what they had with Baahubali Asked about the instructions he gives to his actors especially about their physical appearance in the film the director said he narrates his story in a way that actors understand whats required of themI dont tell the actors that you have to build your body but when I narrate scenes they understand they have to be physically and mentally fit to ace those scenes If I tell NTR Jr that your first action sequence is with a tiger he understands what he needs to do If I tell Charan your intro scene is with multiple fighters he understands what he needs to do he saidThe director said having worked with both the actors in the past they were on the same page when it came to their performanceHe however is looking forward to the dubbing they have done for the film in four languages Hindi Tamil Kannada and TeluguFor RRR Rajamouli has once again collaborated with his father writer K V Vijayendra Prasad best known for Bajrangi Bhaijaan Baahubali and Manikarnika The Queen of JhansiThe director praised his father for his penchant for creating dramatic scenes with great flourishFrom a young age I had this vivid imagination When my father started working he would tell us scenes he had developed and I would amp them up in my own way He realised I have something in me and asked me to join him as an assistant Rajamouli said after assisting his father for five years they developed a shorthand about how their individual minds workedHes the best story writer I know He wrote almost all of my films except one or two We understand each other well But as a writer-director it is me who dictates the scenes We have our own share of arguments and quarrels The COVID pandemic delayed the film by a year but the director took it in his stride saying it only gave him more time to polish the filmNow that the release date is near Rajamouli said he is going through emotions of anxiety and excitementI always say that before the release of a film my mind is split in two on one side there is the confidence that it is going to do well and on the other side it is anxious and full of questions like will it really do as well as I expect RRR will arrive in theatres on January 7 PTI BK RDS RDS
