SS Rajamouli: ‘An Oscar for RRR will not change me’

SS Rajamouli is in the US to attend multiple screenings and address the audience as part of his efforts to boost the chances of RRR at the Oscars.

By: Entertainment Desk

Bengaluru | Updated: September 20, 2022 09:14 AM IST

3 min read

Ram Charan and SS Rajamouli on the sets of RRR. (Photo: Ram Charan/Instagram)

SS Rajamouli is in the US promoting his latest movie RRR as the western audience seems to have been blown away by the ‘rich imagination’ of the filmmaker. Addressing a Q&A session after the screening of the film, starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR, at the IFC Center, Rajamouli revealed that he would very much appreciate winning an Oscar award, but it will not change the way how he narrates a story.

“Whether RRR wins an Oscar or not, my plan for the next film is not going to change. Oscar will be a real boost for morale for the (film’s) unit and the country itself, but that’s not going to change the way I work. I constantly need to upgrade myself as a filmmaker. I have to update my tools of storytelling. That goes on the side. What I want to say and how I want to is not going to change,” Rajamouli said.

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SS Rajamouli is in the US to attend multiple screenings and address the audience as part of his efforts to boost the chances of RRR at the Oscars. It’s worth noting that no Indian film has bagged an Oscar nomination in the last 21 years since Aamir Khan’s Laagan. And RRR is expected to end the drought.

Interestingly, like Laagan, RRR is also set in the backdrop of the British Raj, highlighting the valour of Indians who refuse to play by the colonial rules. Rajamouli was also asked how he feels about RRR, which shows the British in poor light, doing well in the United Kingdom.

“In the beginning of the film you see the disclaimer card. Even if you miss it, it’s not a history lesson. It’s a story. The audience in general understands it. If a British is playing the villain, they understand that I am not saying all the Britishers are villains. If my heroes are Indians, they understand that all Indians are heroes. In this film, a particular guy is a villain and a particular guy is a hero. They automatically understand. They may not be knowledgeable about everything but their emotional intelligence is very high. Once we understand that as a storytellers, we don’t have to worry about other peripheral things,” he explained.

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