SS Rajamouli answers if he is ‘supporting the BJP’ with his films: ‘Sometimes Muslims have had objections, sometimes Hindus’

SS Rajamouli opened up about how filmmaking in India has been affected by the 'recent rise of nationalism'. Many believe that his film RRR conforms to the populist sentiment in the country

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | February 17, 2023 11:34 AM IST

3 min read

SS Rajamouli opened up about how the political climate of India affects its filmmaking. (Photo: TIFF Press and Industry)

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RRR has achieved unprecedented success all around the globe, and SS Rajamouli has been clearly put on the map in Hollywood. While the film has been applauded for its action set pieces and dance numbers in the West, the film’s subtext has been read in more ways with many claiming that RRR conforms to the populist sentiment in the country. In a new interview with The New Yorker, Rajamouli was asked if there was “pressure being put on you, whether anti-Muslim or pro-nationalist, from BJP supporters or even the RSS.”

The Baahubali director said, “No, never directly, never.” He added that no one had “ever approached me to make an agenda film, whatever the agenda is.” He said that “less prominent” people have “found objections” to his films for a few years now. “Sometimes Muslims have had objections, sometimes Hindus, sometimes different castes,” he told the publication. The director said that he wanted to “distance” himself “from either Hindu or pseudo-liberal propaganda.”

When asked if the “recent rise of nationalism, as well as anti-Muslim sentiment” has affected the way movies are made in India, Rajamouli said that he doesn’t think in those terms but added, “Films reflect the pace of society because filmmakers have to cater to audiences.” “If there is a rise in that kind of sentiment in society, those kinds of films will come out. But I always stay away from that. I go a completely different route,” he said.

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Rajamouli addressed those who have accused him of “supporting the BJP or BJP’s agenda” and recalled an incident where he was at the receiving end of a BJP leader’s objections. The Eega director remembered that back in 2020, when they released the poster for Jr NTR’s character Komaram Bheem wearing a skullcap, there were objections against it. In the film, Bheem disguises himself in this look while he is on a mission in Delhi. “A BJP leader threatened to burn down theatres showing RRR and said he would beat me in the road if we didn’t remove the cap. So people can decide for themselves whether I’m a BJP person or not,” he recalled.

He added, “I distance myself from either Hindu or pseudo-liberal propaganda. I know there are audience members from those extreme groups in my audience. I know that, but I’m not catering to them. I’m just catering to the emotional needs of the audience.”

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