The first teaser of filmmaker SS Rajamouli upcoming magnum opus RRR was unveiled today on social media. Starring Ram Charan, NTR Jr, Ajay Devgn and Alia Bhatt, RRR is one of the most anticipated films of 2022, especially since it comes after Rajamouli’s previous blockbuster Baahubali franchise which shattered all the box-office records.
Speaking about his new release RRR clashing with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi, also starring Alia Bhatt, Rajamouli said that he doesn’t believe the business of either films will be affected. “Because of the times we are in, with the pandemic and everything being shut for more than one-and-a-half years, a bottleneck was expected. But if your content is good, it doesn’t matter how many films come together. In the past, many big films have released together and both have done well. I always believe if the films are good – even if four films come together, then people will come and watch all four films. In fact, they’ll be spoilt for choice,” he said.
The filmmaker says that the audience can expect their monies worth of entertainment with RRR. “I am confident of the movie because of the story, and performances, especially the emotional sequences in the film. I use action in my movies to enhance the drama, which is my strength, so I’m hoping this time too, the audiences will have a good time,” he said.
Read: Dubbing of SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ in Full Swing; Film to Premiere in Multiple Languages
RRR marks Ajay and Rajamouli’s reunion after Makkhi, which was voiced by Ajay in Hindi. Sharing his experience of working with Ajay and Alia, the filmmaker said, “Working with stars like Ajay sir and Alia was easy for me. I knew Ajay sir as he had done the remake of my film Son Of Sardaar (2012). He was also gracious to unveil my film Makkhi (the Hindi version of Telugu blockbuster Eega). He does not even go to his caravan. He sits outside the shooting area, looking at me continuously. If I look at him, he would be like ‘do you want me sir’ and he would be on the sets,” Rajmouli said, adding that working with Alia was equally enriching. “Alia kept buggering the direction department to get her lines so she can get her lines and diction right. I did not have any kind of difficulty in working with any of them,” he said.
This is the first time that the filmmaker has broken regional boundaries and is bringing superstars of two different industries together. The filmmaker says that he doesn’t look at actors as part of different regions of the country. “I stopped looking at actors as south or north, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu or Kannada. I have even stopped dividing the audience in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam etc. I write the script and look at which actor has the capability or who will look best in this part.”
For Rajamouli, casting actors is not about his personal connections or relationships but purely on the basis of merit. “I can’t deny the fact that I have Baahubali behind me, that helps me a lot. But I don’t go with the visiting card of ‘Baahubali’. I go with the visiting card of my script and my characterisation, and that’s what helps me. A film like RRR doesn’t happen because of my relationships with industry colleagues. When you have a fantastic script and when the actors see themselves playing those characters that are narrated to them, then you don’t need friendships and connections for them to work in your film,” he said.
The pandemic had brought the entire nation to halt. Several films including RRR was indefinitely delayed. Rajamouli says that he utilised the free time and even got a lot of time to introspect. “Pandemic was not just a problem of my film or the fraternity but to the entire humanity. We never anticipated that something like this would happen so initially I was really blank. But frankly I wasn’t down for a long time. There is an opportunity in the interruption that happened. I spent time with my family and friends and also evaluated how I want to take my career forward,” he explained.
When asked about the challenges he had faced while shooting in the pandemic, he said, “There was no difficulty in working. Working in pandemic times had its challenges. Getting back to the shoot, maintaining the distances, mask; making people aware of the protocol. You have to do it. We just figure out how to go about it.”
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