Road to India@100: Storytelling in a new India

In general, I do not really look into the future. To be very honest, I rarely go beyond my next film. That said let me attempt to put together a few thoughts on what India@100 could be.

From a film-making perspective, I see an ocean of opportunities. Just look at what we have in India. There is a treasure trove of stories filled with innumerable nuances. Without a doubt, no other country has this kind of wealth. It is remarkably unique to India and our culture. However, we have barely touched the tip of this huge iceberg and in that sense, I must say justice has not been done.

Let us look at the West for a moment, where storytelling is not really in their culture but what they have achieved is mind-boggling. The positive for us is that the situation has changed in the recent past. Hollywood is looking at the rest of the world, especially India. With the pandemic, people have been significantly exposed to the cultures of other countries and the size of the opportunity is hitting us. The time to exploit our stories is here for the film-makers. Unfortunately, we lack belief in ourselves but once that takes place, the world is our oyster.

I am often asked what is the role of imagination in my profession. Simply said, it is everything. Be it our epics, folklore or history. Imagine the landscape one already has to build your own story. From the time I was a boy, storytelling was an obsession and that has not changed to this day! In my way, I am living my dream and perhaps the ability to tell stories is a talent I have been blessed with. Or it has just come naturally.

The inspiration does not come through every moment that I live. Rather, it is once in a while and that difference must be understood. There is not one right way to creativity and people must look at it differently. I hold no professional qualifications in dramatics and have developed it over time. This was by reading books and being with people. There are no set rules here and an exciting thought could come from anywhere or, for that matter, anytime.

As we move into an age where technology will only gain greater importance, we must use it well. Technology is merely a tool. Take the example of a camera, which is all about technology but how you use it is where technique becomes important. Likewise, VFX is a technology but using it is where your skill lies. Storytellers must understand this well and in a changing India that is a critical element. At the end of the day, both are used to convey emotions effectively. If a film-maker uses technology with the idea of impressing his audience, he is going down the wrong path. The audience comes for the human emotion and will always continue to do so.

Nothing over the next 25 years will make me happier than India becoming a force to reckon with in the global film arena. Today, that is dominated by Hollywood, China and Korea. Yes, we do make a large number of films but the global impact is limited. That should and must change. Let’s be clear on no limit existing in India for either potential or opportunity. The question is—do we have the attitude?

The size of the audience, too, has changed beyond recognition. As a film-maker, I always had the ambition to reach out to all Indians. The hurdles that came in the way of this were distribution and marketing but never the story. With time, my producers were able to crack these challenges. I moved from an audience in Telugu to Tamil before getting the whole of India to watch my films. What was most unexpected remains the connection the West made with RRR. To say, it was a pleasant surprise is a complete understatement.

The issue of disruption needs to be spoken about. It is something that has affected industries and will continue to do so with the passage of time. There is no doubt that the process will change but the requirements of the individual human being will not change and that is with respect to listening to a story. How he wants to experience that will definitely change and we must adapt to it. Change could come like a tsunami or it may be slow but it is inevitable. It is left to us how well we can adapt to it. Both the storyteller and the ones who listen to the story will remain. Making it relevant in the midst of change is a challenge we must address.

I understand how the global audience has opened up for me with RRR. But if I try to do something different, that might not work. It is my responsibility to constantly upgrade myself and just better what I have done. However, I cannot take my eyes off the basics and that comes down to storytelling in a new India.

As told to Krishna Gopalan. Rajamouli is a film-maker