SS Rajamouli on identifying as an atheist; influence of Ramayana, Mahabharata on his films

SS Rajamouli recently opened up about being an aist. In an interview with New Yorker, RRR director revealed why he moved away from religion. He furr stated that he keeps his personal beliefs separate from his films.

Eega filmmaker shared that he has a big family and everyone including his parents, cousins, uncles, and aunts are deeply religious. He also said that stories about Hindu gods didn't seem real to him and he h doubts after reing m. 

Moreover, Rajamouli also spoke about religious fervour he was caught in and recalled time when he wore saffron clos and used to live an ascetic life for a few years. "n I got caught up in my family’s religious fervour. I started reing religious texts, going on pilgrims, wearing saffron cloth, and living like a sannyasi (ascetic) for a few years. n I caught onto Christianity, thanks to some friends. I’d re Bible, go to church, and all kinds of stuff. Grually, all se things somehow me me feel that religion is essentially a kind of exploitation," he said. 

SS Rajamouli's films inspired by Ramayana and Mahabharata

SS Rajamouli revealed how Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata h a major influence on all his films. He furr shared that even though he was moving away from religion, his love for "stories" like Mahabharata or Ramayana never diminished.

"My love for stories like Mahabharata or Ramayana never diminished. Anything that comes out of me is somehow influenced by se texts. Those texts are like oceans: every time I visit m, I find something new. I did start pushing away from those texts’ religious aspects, but what stayed with me was complexity and greatness of ir drama and storytelling," Magheera filmmaker ded. 

SS Rajamouli on being inspired by Ayn Rand's work

In same interview, SS Rajamouli recalled time when he started moving away from religion. He shared that he was working with his cousin and Telugu writer Gunnam Gangaraju for a few months when latter introduced him to Ayn Rand’s vels Fountainhe and Atlas Shrugged. 

Baahubali director furr shared that he was greatly inspired by vels and understood basics about m. "I didn’t understand a lot of her (Ayn Rand) philosophy, but I understood basics of it. It was around that time that I slowly started moving away from religion," he said.