RRR Filmmaker SS Rajamouli Says, 'I Make Films For Money, Not For Awards'

SS Rajamouli… He needs no introduction as with his latest movie RRR, he bagged enough attention from the global side. As the movie is listed in Oscars 2023 nominations and already received Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, he proved his mettle globally too. As he spent a few weeks in Los Angeles to participate in the prestigious event, he also met several Hollywood stars and also made his presence in a few talk shows. In his recent interview with Hollywood Reporter, he spoke about his motivation behind making larger-than-life movies.

He said, "I make films for money, I make films for the audiences. I don't make films for critical acclaim. RRR is a commercial film, and once my film commercially does well, I'm very happy. Awards are an extension to it. It is for the hard work that my unit put in and I'm happy for that".

In another interview, he said, "I think it is the dream of every filmmaker across the world to make a film in Hollywood. I am no different. I'm open to experimentation".

He also added, "Back in India, I am the dictator. No one tells me how to make a film. Very probably, my first step will be collaborating with someone".

Even Rajamouli was seen on 'Late Night With Seth Meyers' show and he was asked about the response RRR is receiving globally, he said, "The fans will be tearing up newspapers all through the night, making huge bags of confetti, and they come to the theatre. The moment the actor's name is displayed or the actors come in or they anticipate their favourite star is coming onto the screen, all the confetti will be thrown into the air. You won't see the picture, and they will be laughing and shouting so loudly, you can't hear the sound."

He also added, "The projector operator, who is not supposed to meddle with the sound, will be increasing the DB of the sound but still you can't hear anything. "Exciting is an understatement. We are on top of the world. I make films for Indians in India and across the globe. When appreciation came in from the West, our initial thought was that these are friends of Indians who have seen RRR. Then celebrities, story writers, film directors, so many people started tweeting about it, talking about the film on social media. They started championing the film by word of mouth, we thought okay this is growing much more. RRR was released on Netflix and was in the top 10 list for 10 consecutive weeks. It is the highest-grossing Indian film in Japan."

In his new interview, RRR director also spoke about RRR not getting picked as India's official entry for Oscars 2023… He said that he was quite happy for 'The Last Film Show' for being Oscars 2023 official pick. "Yeah, it is disappointing. But we are not the kind of people who would sit and brood on why it didn't happen. What has happened has happened, and we should go forward with it. But I am happy because it (Chhello Show/ The Last Film Show) is also an Indian film and it has also been shortlisted for Oscars. I'm quite happy for it. Of course, everyone knew RRR had a much bigger chance. Here (in the US) everyone felt RRR had a bigger chance. But I don't know how the committee (Film Federation of India), what are guidelines for the committee… I don't know that and I can't comment on that…".

RRR movie was produced by DVV Danayya under the DVV Entertainments banner and it had Ram Charan, Junior NTR, Alia Bhatt, Olivia, Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran a few others in prominent roles.