“Baahubali” director SS Rajamouli was the special guest at a session to celebrate Big FM’s “Onward & Upward: The Big Morning Show” completing 300 episodes.
Hosted by RJ Simran Kaur Sethi, the hour-long session was attended by over 400 employees, and witnessed a conversation with Rajamouli. He shared his thoughts on many topics including giving India one of its biggest magnum opus franchise, “Baahubali”, his vision as a storyteller, how the pandemic has affected his journey, OTT versus theatrical releases, his upcoming ambitious project “RRR” and more.
Rajamouli said: “If we keep aside the health aspect, I feel there are so many positive things that we can learn from this halt. With this, we are getting time to spend with our family, to relook at what we are doing and where we want to be. I see it as an opportunity to look at life in a new perspective.”
Sharing his love for mythological dramas and storytelling, he added: “Mythology is my favourite genre, it is where all my creativity stems from. I am not into story creation but into storytelling. I don’t have the ability to create a story but I know how to present it and bring alive the dramatic moments.”
He said RJs were storytellers, too.
“RJs are storytellers, too. I really admire their spontaneity and the instant creativity that they have. I don’t have that kind of spontaneity,” Rajamouli said.
Sharing his thoughts on the present OTT and theatre scenario, the filmmaker said: “I don’t see OTT as a competition to theatre or TV. I look at the industry having three different platforms — theatre, OTT and TV. I’m in a comfortable space because I base my films more on primary emotions, so in a way my work addresses every variety of audiences.”
On what can be expected from his much-awaited next film “RRR”, he said: “You can expect your money’s worth of entertainment. I am confident of the movie because of the story, performances, especially the emotional sequences in the film. I use action in my movies to enhance the drama, which is my strength, so I’m hoping this time too the audiences will have a good time.”
Commenting on touching the 300-episode mark, Abraham Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Broadcast Network Limited, said: “It has been 300 episodes of remarkable conversations and some thought-provoking insights. The journey has been a fulfilling one and we hope to further continue it with a renewed passion and vigour. We are glad to have ace filmmaker SS Rajamouli to celebrate this feat with us. We are grateful that he graced our landmark episode and shared his experience, insights and views with our team.”
Archanaa Singh, Sr. Vice President, Human Resources, BIG FM added: “It was truly inspiring to learn about his journey and his passion for filmmaking. As we progress forward, his words and thoughts will surely further motivate us.”
