Happy Birthday SS Rajamouli: The filmmaker even learnt from success, reinvented himself after Maryada Ramanna

SS Rajamouli, from being another successful regional filmmaker a decade ago, is now a reference point for Telugu cinema, hailed as a visionary for putting the industry on a global pedestal. Dasari Narayana Rao, K Viswanath and K Raghavendra Rao are probably the only other filmmakers in the industry to have commanded similar attention from viewers and enjoyed such fandom in their prime. From Student No.1 to RRR, the most important lesson that his career can offer is his ability to learn from success too.

The Baahubali director’s humility that he hasn’t made great films at the beginning of his career reflects how honestly he has introspected his career over time and never let their blockbuster status go to his head. When one goes back in time, it’s not hard for a viewer to realise that many of his initial films including Student No.1, Simhadri, Chatrapathi, Sye, Yamadonga or even Vikramarkudu haven’t aged well and even seem like a hotchpotch job that’s downright regressive today.

The films mentioned above were successful because he understood the demands of the audiences he was catering to - nothing more, nothing less. There was a time when one couldn’t separate him much from a contemporary like VV Vinayak. However, something in him changed post Magadheera. While he knew a thing or two about pleasing fan-bases of stars and understood what can set the cash registers ringing, with Maryada Ramanna, you sense that he wanted to bring a method to his madness, and focus on his craft more.

Realising that it would’ve been impossible to meet the expectations of a viewer after a grand fantasy like Magadheera, he attempted a small-town rural faction drama with a comedian-turned-actor and did the unthinkable. His leads in Maryada Ramanna - Sunil and Saloni - were no stars and he needed a solid film to draw crowds. With very well-etched characters, humour, and redemption driven by a novel one-liner - ‘You’ll die if you step outside the house’ - Maryada Ramanna makes for memorable viewing even today.

Buoyed by the success of Maryada Ramanna, Rajamouli gave an innovative twist to a regular mainstream revenge story with Eega. The pivotal character, who transforms into a fly in his second birth, seeks help from his lady love to avenge his killer. Many dismissed it as a silly idea before its release but it was his detractors who sang him praises after the film’s release. Not only did he extract a pathbreaking performance from Sudeep but also changed the way CGI/VFX was used in Telugu cinema.

It wasn’t surprising that Rajamouli wanted to attempt something larger than life and a story with a wider canvas post two experimental efforts. There’s also a reason why Baahubali, especially the first of its two parts, met with mixed reviews from Telugu audiences. He had set the bar so high with Maryada Ramanna and Eega in terms of storytelling that the first part didn’t quench their thirst enough, at least initially. Beneath the grandeur, it still isn’t the best work of the filmmaker at all.

It’s with Baahubali 2 where the auteur brought the storytelling genius in him to the fore. Beyond the hook of ‘why Kattappa killed Baahubali?’, the first part hinted at how the sequel would turn out and Rajamouli still managed to stun the audiences, even as they knew what was to happen next. The drama was much better, the conflicts more solid and the ending, a mere formality. More than anything else, the film was a statement that ‘you can dream big and achieve it too.’

While there were several loose ends in the Baahubali franchise, the filmmaker gained more control of his craft with RRR. Never has he been more aware of his strengths, more precise in his character establishment and treatment. It was as if he wanted every minute of the film to matter and left nothing to chance. The popularity of RRR in the West can solely be attributed to the conviction that SS Rajamouli has with masala cinema, the way he uses emotions, action sequences, drama and music to his advantage.

His next is touted as a ‘globe trotting’ action drama with Mahesh Babu. The entire world is waiting for it beyond measure, yes! But, wouldn’t it have been more comfortable for him to aim for something more grounded, rooted and a film that doesn’t stay in the news for its budget or the star?