EXCLUSIVE: 'Indian cinema will have to be a force to reckon with,' says 'RRR' director S.S. Rajamouli

Ace director S.S. Rajamouli has been on a roll. Not only have his films, for at least a decade, continuously hit the jackpot at the box-office but the recent international recognition has been the icing on the cake. His most recent release, RRR, a bonanza for everyone associated with, it won the Golden Globe Award for the best original song earlier this month. Its track, Naatu Naatu was a smash hit at the time of the film’s release last March. At the end of its run, the film grossed over Rs 1,200 crore worldwide.

That said, the director (storyteller is what he likes to be called) is looking for a bigger share of what can be done on the worldwide arena. In an interaction with Business Today a few days before the award, Rajamouli said he was convinced about the potential, talent and just how much Indian cinema could do.

“Nothing over the next twenty-five 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,” he maintained. To him, there is absolutely no limit on what can be done, with the global market now looking at India with very high levels of interest and seriousness. “Let’s be clear on no limit existing in India for either potential or opportunity. The question only relates to – do we have the attitude?" Rajamouli asserted.

According to him, the size of the audience too has changed beyond recognition. “As a filmmaker, 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,” he said.

Recalling the initial phase when he made the transition from Telugu to other parts of the south, he knew that getting a pan-India audience was important. “What was most unexpected remains the connection the west made to RRR. To say, it was a pleasant surprise it is a complete understatement,” he added with a laugh.

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