Amartya Smaran
Hyderabad
It is safe to say that filmmaker SS Rajamouli has by himself changed how the audience perceives Indian cinema. At a time when making films with a heavy budget was considered a cardinal sin in Tollywood, Rajamouli defied all preconceived notions with his magnum opus Baahubali, The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2, and The conclusion (2017). Not only did he put his career on the line with Baahubali, but Tollywood’s reputation was also at stake. As fate would have it, things worked out and that catapulted the filmmaker’s career. It certainly paved the path for dozens of filmmakers who would follow the Pan-Indian route. People’s perception of South Indian Films at large was beginning to change. The international audience could look beyond Bollywood. Now, it is imperative to look at the changes that occurred in the South Indian film industry in these five years leading up to the release of RRR: Rise, Roar, Revolt (2022). We’ve had a series of Pan-Indian releases after Baahubali 2 like The Conclusion, Prashanth Neel’s K.G.F Franchise, S. Shankar’s 2.0 (2018), Prabhas starrer Saaho (2019),Chiranjeevi’s Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019), and Allu Arjun’s Pushpa The Rise (2021). All creators of the above mentioned films owe it to S.S. Rajamouli.
With the astounding success of RRR globally, the expectations ran through the ceiling. The Oscar win is a reassuring pat on the shoulders of those filmmakers who aspire to transcend regional boundaries and swerve through the international market. This achievement is a ray of hope that the conflict between North and South films will come to an end.
RRR set the bar so high that it was released as a Telugu film and united the nation to vouch for its quality. Be it small or big, content and quality wins over mediocrity.
