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After “Naatu Naatu” from SS Rajamouli’s RRR made history by becoming the first song from an Indian film to win an Oscar for the Best Original Song at the recently concluded 95th Academy Awards, Rajamouli’s father and eminent film writer V Vijayendra Prasad has shared that PM Modi discussed “how the world should look up to our country” with him.
Prasad, who has written the story of RRR, in an interview with CNN News18 revealed that before the Oscars, he met the Prime Minister and that the two of them discussed “how the world should look up to our country”. Prasad shared, “Some time back I met Modi ji, what I expected to be a short meeting, extended to forty minutes. The entire forty minutes we discussed how entire world should look up to India. I am blown with his vision. When I asked him how I can help to take his vision forward, he said, ‘you’ve already moved forward with movies in the South showcasing India’s culture in the West and the entire world’.”
Vijayedra Prasad also shared that PM Modi’s advice for Rajamouli was exactly what renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg told the filmmaker ahead of the Oscars. He shared how The Fabelmans director told the RRR helmer to not mix the West and the Indian culture just for the sake of acknowledgment, adding that the Indian culture is rich and the focus should be on that.
Rajamouli’s father, who has also penned films like Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, also shared his reaction to his son bringing the country such a huge honour with his film. In an interview with ANI, he said, “For long, I had wished for our movies to make waves in Hollywood. Despite having such rich content, we could never really find a foothold beyond Indian shores. That our film made it to the Oscars and won an award is a moment of triumph for the entire film fraternity of India. Our entire film fraternity can and should celebrate this moment of glory because we have, at last, been able to showcase the wealth of talent that we possess. It is such a vast market out there.”
“Sometimes my son (Rajamouli) asks me in what aspects is India the richest in the world. I tell him that our country’s richness lies in our storytelling. My son had a conversation with acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who told him never to compromise on our culture of storytelling. We will be making a sequel to RRR,” he added.
Vijayendra also revealed that he’s being offered a seat in the Rajya Sabha as he shared getting a call from Modi. “I got a call on July 6 from the PMO saying they want to entrust me with some responsibility. However, till the time I received the phone call, I had no clue that I was being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. On July 7, I received another call from the PMO, with the caller saying that Modi-ji wanted to speak to me. Modi-ji started speaking in Hindi but I told him that my Hindi isn’t that good. He then started speaking in fluent English and offered me a Rajya Sabha seat. He said, ‘The President wants to offer you a seat in the RS’,” Vijayendra Prasad told ANI.
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