Shriya Saran says SS Rajamouli’s ‘belief’ made RRR reach Oscars: ‘Hats off to the man’

Shriya Saran added that apart from working in a ‘beautiful film’ she remembers the lunch breaks that the team enjoyed together. “We would sit together, and everyone was always laughing and joking. Also, Rajamouli sir has worked with the same crew. It was the same team that we had during Chatrapathi in 2005. Rama maam (Rajamouli’s wife) would be feeding us, and Kartikeya was just a baby then, and he was looking after everyone during the RRR shoot. It’s just the positivity and vibe that matters more than anything. And I have such fond memories of our time together,” the actor said.

She also remembered how SS Rajamouli had a ‘massive asthma attack’ during the shoot. However, he didn’t care, and ‘continued to work’. “He didn’t give a damn and was on set working on the film. Also, the film was shot during Covid times. Everybody had lost hope but they did not. They believed in it. They took it to the Oscars because they believed in it. Hats off to that man’s belief. Cinema is all about creating magic, and I just hope he keeps doing that,” Shriya shared.

On a final note, we asked her if she was missing not being with the team in US. She said, “Oh I would have loved to. But this film is about Rajamouli sir, Charan and Tarak and the music. So they need to be there.”

In RRR, Shriya Saran played Sarojini, the mother of young Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan). She along with husband Alluri Venkatarama Raju (Ajay Devgn) get killed by the British army. The whole sequence plays a part in shaping Charan’s character.

Shriya is now looking forward to her next big pan-India release Kabzaa, which also stars Upendra and Sudeep.