SS Rajamouli says ‘religion essentially is exploitation’, declares his films have ‘no hidden agenda’

SS Rajamouli, whose film RRR is nominated for an Academy Award, recently shared in an interview that his films have “no hidden agenda”. Rajamouli, in a conversation with AFP, was speaking about the undertones of his film RRR that have been interpreted in different ways by the global audience.

Rajamouli, who says he is an atheist, grew up in a “deeply religious” household but said that he believes that “religion essentially is exploitation”. When asked if there was any agenda behind RRR, Rajamouli said, “I don’t have any kind of hidden agenda. I make films for people who are willing to pay their hard-earned money for the film ticket.” He added, “I like to get them entertained, make them feel dramatic about the characters, about the situations, have a good time, go back and live their lives.”

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In a The New Yorker interview, SS Rajamouli was asked if there was “pressure being put on you, whether anti-Muslim or pro-nationalist, from BJP supporters or even the RSS.” Rajamouli said, “No, never directly, never.” He said that no one had “ever approached me to make an agenda film, whatever the agenda is.” The filmmaker 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.”

RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Original Song category. The Academy Awards will be held on March 13 (IST) in Los Angeles.