Meet Pan-Indian filmmaker who charges Rs 200 crore as fees, working on Rs 1000 crore film and it's not Karan Johar or Ayan Mukerji
This filmmaker is undoubtedly one of the most popular and sought-after at the moment. His previous track record includes some of the most successful films, which attained fame not only within the country but also gained recognition on the world stage.
Fast forward to now, he is currently filming another big pan-Indian project with one of the leading bankable stars of Telugu cinema. Can you guess who we are talking about?
Yes, it's none other than SS Rajamouli.
Born in October 1973, SS Rajamouli is the son of esteemed Indian screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad. His love for storytelling developed from a young age when he was introduced to the sacred texts of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita by his grandmother.
Simultaneously, as encouraged by his mother, the filmmaker also developed a liking for English films, comics and storybooks, which later became a big contributor to his creative vision.
SS Rajamouli's foray into films
His first experience in cinema happened when Rajamouli was appointed as an apprentice under film editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao, with whom he worked for six months. He even assisted his father in films for a few more years.
Thereafter, he filmed some minor commercials and advertisements on his own under supervision from K. Raghavendra Rao. These were either for social causes or related to political parties.
SS Rajamouli also worked as a director for a Telugu TV daily soap opera titled Santhi Nivasam.
Commercial success with debut film Student No. 1
It was finally in 2001 when SS Rajamouli made his debut as an independent director with the film Student No. 1. Starring Jr NTR in the lead, the movie was an immediate hit at the box office and was commercially successful.
After this, he continued to deliver superhits and mid-range films at the box office, collaborating with several actors along the way. Rajamouli slowly earned the tag of 'Mass Director'.
Magadheera, Eega, Baahubali, RRR and beyond
Soon, SS Rajamouli began delivering back-to-back hits with every project. He made Magadheera with Ram Charan, which became a raging hit. Then came Eega, which even won critical acclaim internationally.
Finally, in 2015, he made his first magnum opus, Baahubali: The Beginning, which became a global phenomenon. Starring bigwigs like Prabhas, Anushka Shetty and Rana Daggubati, the film became a sensation among fans.
This was followed by Baahubali 2, which was another global-level milestone unlocked by the filmmaker. It became one of the highest-grossing films in India.
In 2022, he made another fantastic film, RRR, reuniting with his previous actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR. Rajamouli roped in Bollywood faces Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn for crucial roles in the Telugu epic drama.
The success of RRR surpassed even Baahubali 2 at the box office and won numerous awards, including two Critics Choice Movie Awards.
SS Rajamouli's upcoming projects
Fast forward to now, all eyes are on SS Rajamouli's big-budget globe-trotting adventure SSMB29, starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran in lead roles. The project is said to be planned on a massive budget of Rs. 1,000 crore.
Due to its gigantic production scale, the makers and the director have maintained privacy to ensure no leak of information takes place until the movie is completed.
Touted to be a jungle adventure set in Africa, the filmmaker spoke at the Toronto Film Festival about it briefly and said, 'My next film with Mahesh Babu will be a globetrotting action adventure. It's going to be a kind of James Bond or Indiana Jones film with Indian roots!'
Besides this, the maverick filmmaker has frequently expressed his desire to make a movie on the Mahabharata. He has even confirmed casting Telugu actor Nani as one of the key characters in his long-dreamt project.
SS Rajamouli's massive Rs. 200 crore fees
Well, considering his successful career so far, SS Rajamouli has often made it to headlines when it comes to his fees per film. He is currently one of the most expensive filmmakers at the moment.
As per an IMDb report, the Baahubali creator takes home a whopping paycheck of Rs. 200 crore per film. This surpasses Karan Johar's fees of around Rs. 3 crore as director or even Ayan Mukerji, who took home Rs. 32 crore for War 2.
SS Rajamouli's personal life
Behind all the fame on his work front, SS Rajamouli's personal life has always remained quite low-profile. He is married to Rama Rajamouli, who worked as a costume designer for many of his films.
The filmmaker adopted Rama's son Karthikeya from her previous marriage. The couple have also adopted a daughter, whom they have named Mayookha.
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