SS Rajamouli is the most influential and biggest filmmaker in India.
Born into a Telugu film family and to writer-director V. Vijayendra Prasad, today SS Rajamouli is one of the most cherished filmmakers in the world. His last few films are critically acclaimed with global widespread popularity and enormous success.
SS Rajamouli started his film career in 2001 by directing Raghavendra Rao’s ‘Student No: 1’ starring Jr. NTR in the lead role. The film went on to become a blockbuster and the biggest commercial hit of 2001. SS Rajamouli’s debut directional film was a big success but it was also the first success for Jr. NTR. The director–actor duo, Rajamouli and Jr. NTR collaborated for another film in 2003 titled Simhadri. Once again, the film went on to become a blockbuster and one of the highest-grossing films in 2003.
Following the success of Student No: 1 and Simhadri, SS Rajamouli became one of the biggest names in the Telugu film industry. He received plenty of directional offers at that time. His next few directionals such as Sye (2004), Chatrapathi (2005), Vikramarkudu (2006), and Yamdonga (2007) all were huge successes.
Critical acclaim and blockbuster films
In 2009, SS Rajamouli directed a romantic action fantasy film titled ‘Magadheera’. The film starred Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal, Srihari, and Dev Gill among others. The film proved to be a game-changer for its lead cast and makers. Magadheera received critical acclaim and widespread popularity. The film received highly positive reviews and went on to become one of the highest-grossing films ever in 2009. It was the first Telugu film to earn over 100 crores and gross over 150 crores globally. Magadheera won the National Film Award for Best Choreography and Best Special Effects at the 57th National Film Awards.
In 2012, SS Rajamouli directed one of his most ambitious projects of that time. He directed Eega (The Fly), an action fantasy film starring Kichcha Sudeep, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Nani. The film received widespread critical acclaim and emerged as one of the highest-grossing films in 2012. Eega won two National Film Awards and over five Filmfare Awards. Eega is listed as one of the best Telugu and Indian films. The film grossed over 130 crores globally. The film came as an arrival for SS Rajamouli to global success and global fame.
Pan-India foundation, international recognition, critical acclaim and massive success
Things changed for SS Rajamouli post the success of Eega. He was confident like never before and presented his most ambitious project to the world. He introduced the Pan-India film moment with his Telugu film dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada released in every part of India on a massive scale.
In 2015, he directed the epic action periodic film Baahubali: The Beginning starring an ensemble cast of Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj, and Ramya Krishnan among others.
Made on a budget of 180 crores, it was the most expensive Telugu film at that time. Baahubali: The Beginning was released on 10 July 2015 to universal critical acclaim and widespread popularity. It was hailed as one of the best Indian films of all time. The film received highly positive reviews for its direction, writing, screenplay, special effects, background score, music, and performance of the cast. The film grossed over 600 crores globally and is regarded as one of the greatest epic periodic action films in India. Post the climax scene of Baahubali: The Beginning, a sequel was announced at the end of the film and its sequel became the most awaited and most anticipated film in India.
The sequel and second part titled Baahubali: The Conclusion was released on 28 April 2017. The film achieved a record-breaking opening and went on to gross over 1800 crores becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films ever. In 2017, Baahubali: The Conclusion became India’s most critically acclaimed and biggest hit of all time. It received widespread popularity on the global stage. With Baahubali: The Conclusion, the Pan–India moment was successful with directors dubbing their films in various languages instead of remaking them. Baahubali: The Conclusion ranks amongst the greatest Indian films of all time. The film collected over 500 crores in Hindi language and remained the highest-grossing Hindi film till 2023. In 2023, Shahrukh Khan’s Pathaan broke the record and became highest highest-grossing Hindi film. Baahubali: The Conclusion remains the most influential Indian film of all time.
Post the Baahubali franchise, SS Rajamouli established international popularity and achieved fame and success that no other Indian filmmaker has ever met.
In 2019, Rajamouli announced another ambitious project of his starring Jr. NTR and Ram Charan. The film was titled RRR and the shooting began in 2019 but got postponed due to the COVID pandemic.
RRR was released on 25 March 2022 and like SS Rajamouli’s past films, RRR too received widespread critical acclaim and became one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. The global box office collection of RRR stands at 1300 crores. The film also starred Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt in special appearances. RRR met universal critical acclaim and received highly positive reviews. The film went on to become India’s most influential film in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, the UK, and other parts of the world. The film received highly positive reviews from well-known critics from the USA and Japan.
RRR received global recognition like no other Indian film ever. The film premiered on Netflix and became the most-watched Indian film in the USA and other countries. SS Rajamouli premiered Eega, Baahubali Part 1 and Part 2, and RRR in the USA and Japan. The film received several big awards in India and the USA as well. The film won the Best Original Song award at the Academy Awards. Director SS Rajamouli was highly hailed by some of the biggest filmmakers in the world including James Cameron.
Post RRR, audiences in India, Japan, and the USA audience and fans of SS Rajamouli enquired about his next project.
Though the film is not officially announced yet but SS Rajamouli has confirmed his next with Mahesh Babu. Like Ram Charan, Jr. NTR and Prabhas, Mahesh Babu is another big actor from the Telugu film Industry. He is one of the most handsome and charming actors in India. SS Rajamouli’s next is a globetrotting action-adventure set in a jungle in Africa. The film production is expected to begin by the end of 2024.
While it stars Mahesh Babu in the lead, according to the sources, popular Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran is confirmed to play the main antagonist.
