SS Rajamouli opens up on success of ‘RRR’ in the west; says ‘never, ever’ expected it
Recently, as SS Rajamouli kickstarted the film RRR’s Oscars campaign, he opened up about the response he received from several Hollywood filmmakers.
This year, SS Rajamouli brought one of the biggest entertainers in Indian cinema — RRR. The celebrated filmmaker’s magnum opus followed the story of two freedom fighters, who seek their revenge on the British government. The period drama successfully entertained the audience in India and also attracted viewers from the west. Recently, as SS Rajamouli kickstarted the film’s Oscars campaign, he opened up about the response he received from several Hollywood filmmakers.
Rajamouli recently appeared for a chat at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he spoke about RRR transcending borders and becoming a hit in the west. According to Indian Express, the filmmaker was described as a “pioneer” by the moderator at the event.
However, Rajamouli smiled and quipped he is in the “nascent” stage of his filmmaking career. Talking about his film’s garnering International attention, Rajamouli mentioned that as his film franchise Bahubali did good business in Japan, he thought of focusing on the East. But, he did not expect his latest flick would also attract an audience in the west. He said, “Never, ever did I expect RRR to do well with the Western audiences.”
Rajamouli talks about his reaction to RRR’s popularity
During the chat, SS Rajamouli said that he started getting responses from people across the world soon after RRR was released. Over time, the few responses turned into thousands as directors, critics, story writers and many people from different fields were highly talking about his directorial. Celebrated filmmakers such as Scott Derrickson, James Gunn and Edgar Wright also heaped praise on Rajamouli for his direction. Reacting to the overwhelming response, the director said, “I thought the sensibilities are different, but I realised that the sensibilities can also be similar. I am still trying to understand, to be very frank.”
RRR starred Ram Charan and Jr NTR as two freedom fighters, while Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt and Shriya Saran played pivotal roles. The movie s currently expected to compete at the Oscars, but it will happen only if it makes its place in India’s official entry. In case it is selected, the film is expected to compete in the Best International Film category.
