We are seated on the mammoth sets created for Bahubali in Hyderabad’s Ramoji Film City. Some find it helpful, others perhaps not so much,” he says of his directorial style. “I am a storyteller so it’s imperative to get across my emotions when I narrate the story to a technician or an actor as passionately as I can and that sometimes includes even acting it out. Anushka Shetty, the leading lady of the film mentions that she simply follows his detailed instructions (sometimes Rajamouli even performs a scene for reference) and the results are usually very good. His actors too are completely in sync with him, submitting to his vision completely. In his case it helps that he has a very supportive family - his father renowned scriptwriter Vijeyendra Prasad has written the story for his films, while his wife Rama, over the years has been swept up in the production work and is now the bonafide costume designer for the production. Compared to this world, the world of Makkhi was a cakewalk! It was as small as the name.” ( laughs)
Sure you may not have a palace as high as the Eiffel Tower, but that’s the grandeur that has to be created. “When you imagine a film like Bahubali, you have to imagine the world in which kings lived. You have to follow your vision and stay on course. To me, story and screenplay are the most important aspects, but venturing into this genre, you have to be patient and persistent. “Fighting for honour, freedom or principles are emotions that fascinate me and find their way into my films. In between the shoot of his mammoth multi-starrer Bahubali, the director confesses, “ Amar Chitra Katha comic is the culprit for my fascination with stories of kings and queens.” But then again, for Rajamouli, mythological epics like Mahabharat and Ramayana are huge influences too.įilms that he enjoys watching, predictably, are larger-than-life period dramas, although he always tries to make them in a comfortable budget which, according to the director is, “10 per cent less than the market budget.”Īs for films that have made an impact, he says, “ Braveheart is a big influence as is Gladiator.
It is somewhat befitting that director Rajamouli, famous for his larger-than- life films like Magadheera (2009), a period drama of sorts with reincarnation thrown in, Eega ( Makkhi, 2012), the story of a young boy’s revenge on his murderer in the form of a housefly and now Bahubali, is a fan of Amar Chitra Katha comics!