S S Rajamouli: The Epic Storyteller

Rajesh N Naidu

In the much-acclaimed multi-lingual film Bahubali (a commander), the young Bahubali with firm determination makes several abortive attempts at climbing a mysterious mountain. Besides, the elements of gusto and unwavering resolution in his efforts to reach the top of the mountain, what makes his each attempt noteworthy is the new path he chooses each time he resolves of reaching the mountain’s top. With every unsuccessful attempt, the intrigue of the world on the other side of the mountain becomes more acute and thrilling. It seems that he belongs to that world which is there on the other side of the mountain. Then a mask of a woman falls into the lap of Bahubali. This mask makes his determination firmer to know the world at the top of the mountain. And this ‘time’ he succeeds. These scenes are dazzlingly symbolic and evocative. In one sense, they sum up the journey of the film’s director S S Rajamouli.

After creating impressive array of money-spinners down South, the director has reached the top of the mountain and met the mother of all his successes in the national hit Bahubali. Though originally made in Telugu, the film in its dubbed version in Hindi itself has collected over Rs100 crore at the box office. In less than twenty five days of its release, the film which was released in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi, has become India’s biggest blockbuster till date. It has collections of over Rs500 crore at the box office beating Hindi films such as PK, Dhoom 3 and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

S S Rajamouli is no stranger to Hindi films. His films such as Vikramarkudu and Maryada Ramanna have been remade into Hindi as Rowdy Rathore and Son of Sardar respectively. And it is not just Hindi. His films are remade and dubbed in Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Bhojpuri and Oriya also. Today, he is the most sought after film director in Hindi films industry say media reports.

So, what has worked for this Telugu director? What is that that has made him a consistent deliverer of smashing hits down South? What are the elements in his films which have found so much resonance across geographies? And why Bahubali of all his films has received a thumping response across states in India? To seek

answers to these questions one needs to understand the journey of this filmmaker who from being aimless youth, today, believes the importance of having boundless imagination in one’s works. One also needs to understand the scripts of his films which are written so ingeniously by his able father K. V. Vijayendra Prasad.

The Journey

The journey of S S Rajmouli’s film career can be understood from the deep connection of mythology and Southern cinema. Telugu and Tamil cinema have had a deep connection with epics. In South especially in Telugu and Tamil films, epics played a gigantic role in establishing cinema as a potent medium of entertainment. Epic films in both languages were just not a visual rendering of stories. They were made on a scale and vision which was incomparable with most non-south language films. A case in the point is director S S Vasan’s Tamil film Chandralekha, which was released in 1948. It is said that it took five years for the production of the film. S S Vasan invested Rs30 lakh in the film. In this magnum opus, Vasan invested whopping Rs 5 lakh only on a drum dance scene. This was in 1948 at a time a whole film could have been made in five lakh rupees. Such was the scale and the vision with which epic films were made in South.

In Telugu, it was not just the scale and the vision with which epics films were made. It was also the number of epic films, which were made. One of the reigning superstars of Telugu cinema N T Rama Rao who was at the peak of his film career in the 1950s played Lord Krishna 17 times in epic films. Besides this, he also played deities such as Lord Shiva and key characters of the Mahabharata such as Karna, Duryodhana, and Bhisma in large number of films. The epic scale of films in Telugu just did not confine to stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Telugu cinema has been oscillating between stories which have been sublime and pious to vapid and sterile which also gave birth to highly prospering escapist cinema in the region. This polarity in audiences spawned a thriving film viewing culture in Andhra Pradesh region. Given this, it is not surprising that the number of single screens in Andhra Pradesh (undivided) is highest in the country. According to the web site of Film Federation of India, Andhra Pradesh has 2806 screens,

followed by 1546 screens in Tamil Nadu, 1015 screens in Kerala and 950 screens in Karnataka.

Just like a large number of Telugu film viewers, S S Rajamouli also grew up on these epic films. He recalls, “In my childhood we were allowed to watch only one movie in a month. I remember the anxious wait and thrill of entering a cinema. Curtains going up and the experience of pain as a film would end fascinated me a lot. In Telugu, there were large number of films made on our history, folklore and mythology. These films had N T Rama Rao in the lead. Those were my favourite films." But the decision to become a filmmaker came later for Rajamouli.

Born in a film family, in his teens, he hardly showed any inclination for films. His father K V Vijayendra Prasad who has been a screenwriter in Telugu films since 1988, recollects, “He was not an ambitious child. For a long time, we did not know what interested him. He showed some inclination towards films. He played the role of young Krishna in a film I directed." After doing some television work, he found his calling in film direction. He says, "Even in my early 20s I didn’t know how to plan for my future. My father would constantly scold me for doing nothing. I joined films just to get away from his nagging. Slowly, I found my love for direction." And this love for direction provided the much-needed aim for his life and saved from drifting away aimlessly. Today, Rajamouli has made over 10 films in his career spanning 15 years.

What distinguishes his career from his peers is the sheer consistency with which he has delivered blockbuster after blockbuster in Telugu films industry. On the one hand, he has made blockbusters such as Vikramarkudu, Maryada Ramanna and Student No. 1, which obey the confines of escapist cinema, while, on the other hand, he has equally excelled in the epic and fantasy genre with films such as Chatrapathi, Magadheera, and Eega where imagination runs abound. And the latest feather in his cap is Bahubali, which has received recognition and acceptance not only in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region but also on the national level.

Commercial considerations

So, how does he pull off such varied genres and provide engaging narratives in each of these genres? To understand the depth of commercial considerations in films directed by Rajamouli one is tempted to paraphrase an old statement about the Indian epic Mahabharata. Indian scholars, in pointing out to the depth and scope of the Mahabharata, say: That what is not there (in the Mahabharata) is nowhere to be found. This statement when paraphrased may serve as a good description for films directed by S S Rajamouli and written by his father K. V. Vijayendra Prasad. It may read as: That is what is not there in their films is not there in any commercially successful film.

Rajmouli’s father K V Vijayendra Prasad who has co-written seven of over 10 films he has directed offers a cogent explanation of the commercial success of their films. He says, “Writing a commercial film is like functioning on two different psyches. One should have a psyche of a wife and call girl.” He explains, “When the husband comes home, the wife is concerned about his health. She gives him healthy diet. A call girl on the other hand is not bothered about the health of the man. She serves him whiskey or any other drink. She is not bothered whether he has a big belly or flat stomach. All the time the call girl’s mind is on the pocket of the man. On the other hand, the wife's focus is on the health of the husband. So, as a writer, one has to ride on these two horses.” Keeping this in mind, the father-son duo has made a conscious effort to produce narratives, which are engaging entertainers and at the same time, which do not sound seem esoteric or too personal in expression. This is primarily the reason that why his narratives are accessible also to non-Telugu viewers.

Besides this, copious amount of symbolic references to events in epics has made Rajamouli’s films accessible to a national audience. Piyush Roy, a film historian with University of Edinburgh says, “The success of Rajamouli’s films can be attributed to his ability to merge the essential lessons and emotional points in stories of Indian epics with grandeur of visuals. This is one of the chief reasons why his latest offering Bahubali has gained wide acceptance. Roy says, “Aspects such as constant duel between good and evil, women as strong characters, presence of mother figures like Kunti and Gandhari are recurrent themes of his narratives.” “All of Rajamouli’s films have well-rounded action plots. Among the

Navrasas, it is the Veer rasa that make his narrative very engaging. He adds, “His plots have all elements of exploits of a hero and heroism. His heroes are not only mentally upright but also physically strong. He invests in characterisation. Even his supporting characters are well-established,” he adds. Aspects such as return of the banished prince as a victor and saving of the child from drowning from the Ramayana and the playing of Shiv Tandav Stotram from the Mahabharata when Bahubali places the Shiva-Linga in the waterfall are a few symbolic references to events in epics.

Perhaps, these epic references are Rajamouli’s tribute to his fascination for epics. He says, “I am fascinated by epics since childhood. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are highly dramatic in their narratives and they have influenced story telling in India a lot. Be it the irony of fate of Karna, superhuman strength but utter loyalty of Hanuman and Bheema, or elements of David Vs Goliath seen in Abhimanyu’s character. All these stories had a lasting impact on my mind.” It is no wonder that Rajamouli cites K V Reddy’s 1957 bi-lingual (Telugu and Tamil) film Mayabazaar as one of the films that has influenced him a lot. The film, which was one of the early collaborations of Telugu and Tamil artists, is a cult masterpiece which centers on the marriage of Balarama’s daughter Sasirekha to Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu. It was a visual spectacle which even today thrills the audience.

It is this same consideration for visual spectacle in Bahubali, which has earned Rajamouli the national audience. His father who also co-wrote Bahubali says, “The reason Bahubali has worked at national level is because of visual spectacle.” It is this visual spectacle which has pulled the audiences in large numbers to theatres. Unlike, artistic films, which can be watched once and later seen on mobile phones or on television, a visual spectacle needs experience of a big screen. It is this aspect of visual spectacle which has worked for Bahubali. Roy of University of Edinburgh says, “Spectacle can only be enjoyed on big screen. It is constantly working for audience. You cannot enjoy Star Wars, Avengers and other visual spectacles on television. Visual grandeur works only in theatres.” He says, “South filmmakers always had an edge over their Hindi contemporaries in creating competent spectacles. They amalgamate emotions with spectacles very well. As opposed to them, Hindi filmmakers have

produced a few noteworthy spectacles like Mughal-e-Azam and Lagaaan and Jodha Akbar. Barring these films, very few spectacles have worked in Hindi films. If you give films with indigenous content and add spectacle to it, it definitely works. In the case of Bahubali, Rajamouli has got these aspects quite right.”

As Bahubali adds a new bold chapter in Rajamouli’s film career, it also adds to his burden of delivering an equally grand and engaging sequel, which is up for release next year. He says, “I don’t hold back anything. Anything is possible. I give immense importance to building and execution of a plot. Once these aspects are duly considered, then the believability factor comes in. There are instances where I failed, but those failures didn’t deter me at all.”