Top Feature/ From Baahubali To Beyond: Unmatched Legacy of SS Rajamouli's Grand-Scale Narratives

SS Rajamouli has been creating box office blockbusters throughout his career. Films like Baahubali (2015), Baahubali 2 (2017), and Eega/Makkhi (2012) have been box office hits, but even more than that, they’ve set a standard for storytelling in regional filmmaking.

Rajamouli did something unique with his last film RRR (2022), which brought together two of Telugu’s biggest stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR. While the film allowed audiences to feel catharsis for a history of colonial oppression, it also showcased tremendous scale, vivacity and technical prowess that can be seen as a definitive progression in Rajamouli’s style. Here is how SS Rajamouli’s career renders him a class apart from any of his contemporaries.

3 things you need to know

• SS Rajamouli made his debut with the Jr NTR starrer Student No: 1 in 2001.
• He has remained a consistent screenwriter on every film he’s written. 
• He is currently working on his upcoming film with Mahesh Babu tentatively titled #SSMB29.

What sets SS Rajamouli apart from others?

SS Rajamouli-KV Vijayendra Prasad’s dynamic duo

SS Rajamouli has been a consistent collaborator with his father KV Vijayendra Prasad. Vijayendra Prasad has worked with Rajamouli on most of his films, some of which are Simhadri (2003), Sye (2004), Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), and most notably Chatrapathi (2005), which put the father-son duo on the map. They also collaborated for the films Baahubali: The Beginning, Baahubali: The Conclusion and RRR.

Conceptual rarity

Rajamouli films are characteristically rare in their conceptual development. While Rajamouli has made films such Eega/Makkhi (2012) which details a man reincarnated as a fly who takes revenge for the pursuit of love, he’s also made films such as RRR which is filled with dilemmas about morality and faith in the face of a common enemy.

Rajamouli is a master at visualisation

Previously in an interview with The New Yorker in 2022, Rajamouli had said while speaking about the intensity of the action scenes in RRR, “The audience doesn’t care about what I just told you; what they care about is a great visual and emotional connection to what’s happening onscreen. An emotional connection can only happen subconsciously.” This is a trademark of Rajamouli’s work, and has been integral to some of his biggest, record-breaking hits including both Baahubali films and RRR.

Stories rooted in faith, religion

One of the biggest pegs which have been rampant in his biggest hits has been faith. While Rajamouli himself is an atheist, he has constantly incorporated religious themes in his films. In RRR for instance, there is a Hindu-Muslim dichotomy that is all about bringing people together. Moreover, Ram Charan literally appears in the attire of Lord Ram in the film’s most intense fighting sequence. It should come as no surprise that Rajamouli and his father are heavily inspired by Mahabharatha and Ramayana. SS Rajamouli has also expressed his desire in making a 10 part film on the Indian epic Mahabharata.

Rajamouli transcends pan-India

Rajamouli’s frequent collaborators such as Jr NTR and Prabhas, currently stand at the top of the Indian film industry. While Prabhas recently starred in the pan-India film Adipurush and is gearing up for the big-budget sci-fi Kalki 2898 AD, Jr NTR will be seen in War 2 and Prashanth Neel’s NTR 31. The scale of a Rajamouli film, its grandiosity, characterisation and dedication to cater to audiences across class, faith, or social stature allows Rajamouli go beyond nationwide reach. With 2022 and 2023 being eventful years for the director, it remains to be seen what Rajamouli will have to offer with SSMB29.