S.S. Rajamouli Reveals His Epic James Bond Substitute “Gained’t Be Something Like ‘RRR'”

There is not loads identified, plot-wise, about S.S. Rajamouli‘s upcoming epic Varanasi. What we do know is that it is going to be epic in scale with the filmmaker’s signature slow-motion beats, particular scenes filmed for IMAX, and Rajamouli’s dedication to constructing on the success of his globally revered interval journey, 2022’s RRR.

Starring Mahesh Babu (Pokiri), Priyanka Chopra-Jonas (Citadel), and Prithviraj Sukumaran (The Goat Life), Varanasi follows a Shiva devotee (Babu), who embarks on a mysterious mission to retrieve an historical cosmic artifact. To take action, he should journey via historical past, utilizing clues to help him on his journey. However alongside the way in which, our hero discovers that the one who despatched him on this quest is an evil mastermind seeking to management the world. In accordance with Rajamouli, “It is in regards to the expertise. It is the expertise that may transport you thru unimaginably massive, gigantic worlds, not simply by way of scale, however by way of feelings as effectively.”

On the finish of final 12 months, Collider’s Steve Weintraub had the pleasure of sitting down with the solid (which you’ll take a look at right here) and the director in India, after the first-ever take a look at Varanasi. Throughout their dialog, Rajamouli shares his imaginative and prescient for the ultimate image, what it is like working with Telugu Cinema, how he selects his impactful slow-motion photographs, and selecting which sequences can be filmed for IMAX. The filmmaker additionally discusses what to anticipate so far as Varanasi‘s runtime, shares the feedback from James Cameron on RRR, and the way he is leveling up after that movie’s success.

S.S. Rajamouli Shares James Cameron’s Response to ‘RRR’

“I used to be pinching myself to imagine it.”

COLLIDER: I’ve a whole lot of questions in regards to the film, however I like throwing in just a few enjoyable questions at first of all my interviews. What’s your favourite Indian meals, and what’s in it?

S.S. RAJAMOULI: It is referred to as pothichoru. It is mainly a liquid type of lentils and rice. That is home-cooked meals, and I like it.

Is there one thing that you just cook dinner your self?

RAJAMOULI: I by no means cook dinner. I hate cooking. I solely like consuming.

We’re very comparable. I am carrying an Arnold Schwarzenegger T-shirt. I do know you are a film fan. Do you’ve got a favourite Arnold film?

RAJAMOULI: Who doesn’t? (Laughs) T2, Terminator 2, and I like True Lies loads. A totally completely different form of movie from him. I like True Lies.

What’s humorous is that each are James Cameron.

RAJAMOULI: Yeah.

I am assuming James Cameron should have seen RRR.

RAJAMOULI: Sure.

I am assuming you spoke to him?

RAJAMOULI: Sure.

I do know that you just bought to satisfy a whole lot of Hollywood filmmakers whenever you had been selling. As such a fan of James Cameron and Spielberg, and all these folks, what has it been prefer to be embraced by Hollywood and have these filmmakers that you just look as much as discuss so extremely of you?

RAJAMOULI: It was unreal for me. Initially, assembly him is unreal. Then, him speaking about my movie is one thing else. After which him speaking in regards to the particulars of the movie, the characters of the movie, the actions of the movie, and the way he and his spouse watched the movie, and he advisable my film to his spouse, and each of them are watching the movie once more, he watched it a second time? All that was like, “Is that this true?” I used to be pinching myself to imagine it. It was one of many happiest moments in my profession.

Pinpointing ‘Varanasi’s “Peak” Emotional Beats

“This can be one of many biggest cinematic moments. We have now to do that.”

After RRR, you have been in a position to do what you wish to do for the previous couple of films, however did you’re feeling any extra strain or indecision about what you wished to do after RRR, realizing that so many individuals all over the world are very serious about what you are going to do?

RAJAMOULI: No. The success of RRR positively has no strain on me. My strain is that, at first of the movie, we all the time have two or three concepts, that are attention-grabbing. So, if I begin specializing in one concept, I really feel that I am lacking out on these two. If I’m going for the opposite concept, I’ll really feel that I am lacking out on this. That is the strain I’m going via at first of the movie. The success of the earlier movie, whether or not it is Baahubali or some other movie, has by no means affected me.

How did you determine on this movie being, “Sure, that is what I wish to make?”

RAJAMOULI: It is vitally troublesome to pinpoint and say, “Sure, that is the time,” or “That is the second in story improvement that I felt like that is the work.” It is a form of course of that goes forwards and backwards, forwards and backwards. Additionally, it took a very long time as a result of on the identical time, I used to be additionally in L.A. selling RRR. So, I used to be doing that job there, coming again to India, dabbling a bit bit with the story discussions, and once more, going again. I do not know precisely at which level I assumed, “Sure, that is the movie,” however I keep in mind this positively is without doubt one of the moments after we had the emotional sequence main up-to-the-minute the place Rudhra, the character performed by Mahesh (Babu), comes on the bull with the mud flying round. We thought, “This can be one of many biggest cinematic moments. We have now to do that.”

I do know that is very early; you are in the course of filming proper now. The movie’s not out for a very long time, and I hate asking the generic query, however what do you wish to inform folks in regards to the film and what it is about?

RAJAMOULI: It is in regards to the expertise. It is the expertise that may transport you thru unimaginably massive, gigantic worlds, not simply by way of scale, however by way of feelings as effectively.

One of many issues that I like about your work is the way in which that you just use sluggish movement in your motion set items to assist inform the story. How do you determine which photographs you wish to do in sluggish movement, and are you figuring it out on set, or are you figuring it out within the enhancing room after, or is it a mix of each?

RAJAMOULI: A lot, a lot earlier than. A lot earlier than the capturing or enhancing on the writing desk itself, I will be determining which photographs are going to be sluggish movement. These moments are the height moments of emotion, so I can not determine that on the set. It must be a lot earlier than.

S.S. Rajamouli Breaks Down His IMAX Technique

“Why would I wish to disguise it?”

I like IMAX. It’s my favourite format, and you’ll be releasing this in IMAX, and also you’re filming it for IMAX. Are you able to discuss in regards to the resolution as to why? As a result of James Cameron and movies like Oppenheimer, all in IMAX, the complete display screen. Are you doing that, or are you doing choose scenes in full-screen IMAX?

RAJAMOULI: Choose screens. I wish to do your complete movie in full IMAX, however our timelines and the way in which we work, we aren’t studio-backed. We’re manufacturing company-based. So, that might be unattainable for us to do your complete movie in IMAX. That being stated, I additionally love the moments the place a traditional scene opens into that massive world, ? I actually love that really feel.

After we had been having the conversations with the IMAX technicians and IMAX folks in L.A., they had been saying it might probably lower between the platforms and between the facet ratios, and folks is not going to discover it. You’ll be able to disguise these cuts. They had been suggesting alternative ways to cover the cuts. I stated, “Why would I wish to disguise it?” I wish to blatantly inform the folks, present the folks that you’re going to witness one thing extraordinary as they open the display screen to the bigger display screen. It offers me elation. Why ought to I disguise it? I might somewhat flaunt it somewhat than disguise it. After we performed this teaser for the viewers on the occasion, you should have observed once I opened Varanasi from the cinemascope to the complete IMAX, there was a roar. So, I wish to use it, seize it, and never disguise it.

Oh yeah, when it does that, I’m like, “It’s on.” With the footage that you just confirmed, are you able to speak about why you picked the scenes that you just confirmed for the trailer over different scenes?

RAJAMOULI: It was in final October, I suppose, when my artist began placing the pencil on the paper and began drawing the pictures. We all know the story, and I instructed him that I wished the viewers to expertise it. “I do not need phrases, I would like visuals. I would like visuals, and folks ought to get a way of what this movie goes to be, what scale, what scope that is going to be. So, there are not any phrases. There are not any phrases. I simply need visuals.” And he began doing the job, and we picked some.

The selecting of these visuals is principally primarily based on, “Am I feeling it or not?” I did not need phrases to explain it. “Am I feeling it or not? Sure, I’m feeling it right here. I’m feeling it right here. Sure, undergo it, undergo it, undergo that scale.” We made the essential, easy black and white pencil-lined drawing of what that is going to be, and from final October till now, we began growing it, growing, and growing it. Studios labored on it day and evening, day and evening, till the final second, the place we’re releasing. A few of the artists had been working 24 hours, like, actually 24 hours, no sleep. They’re working till they ship this.

S.S. Rajamouli Goals for One other Epic Runtime

“It’s all the time no matter is greatest for the story.”

I am ready for this factor to pop up behind us. What are you able to say in regards to the antagonist of the movie and this wheelchair with the Dr. Octopus-type arms?

RAJAMOULI: Undoubtedly not sci-fi. It’s not sci-fi. It feels prefer it’s a sci-fi movie. It is not. It is a extra fantasy, mythological-based movie. And the antagonist, Kumbha, I am all the time identified for presenting my antagonist higher than my protagonist. I like working with antagonists. I simply love his character, his depth, and Prithviraj (Sukumaran), the way in which he introduced that out along with his efficiency, is de facto unimaginable. He simply had his face, nothing else. No arms, no legs, no physique motion. Nothing. His menace, he needed to deliver to his face, and he did it with nice aplomb.

I am curious in regards to the runtime of the film. I like lengthy films, particularly after they’re deserving of an extended runtime. RRR is a bit over three hours, however you have made earlier movies which are 3.5 hours. Are you already pondering that this could possibly be three hours, 3.5 hours?

RAJAMOULI: Normally, I intention my movies primarily based on the script that we now have. Normally, my tales really feel like they are going to be a two-hour and 40-minute to a three-hour form of factor. That’s how most of my current films have been like that. I believe Varanasi can be, additionally, on these traces. I’m at this level. I am assuming will probably be a bit bit lower than three hours.

In America, not lots of people are as loopy a few three-hour film. They like a two-hour film. Personally, once more, if the film warrants it, it could possibly be any size, however do you get the strain to make it shorter, or do you get the artistic freedom to do no matter’s greatest for the story?

RAJAMOULI: It’s all the time no matter is greatest for the story. I significantly imagine that if the content material shouldn’t be attention-grabbing, whether or not it’s, three hours, two hours, 1.5 hours, and even three minutes, folks would not look after it. They simply get bored, they usually simply swap it off, or they stroll out of the theater. They are not . When you’re in a position to pull the viewers into the world, into the feelings of the characters, and resonate with the feelings of the characters, I believe runtime does not matter.

‘Varanasi’s Songs “Gained’t Be Something Like” ‘RRR’

“We must always consider find out how to make that top greater or larger.”

One of many issues about RRR in America was the music and the songs. It exploded all over the world. Are you able to discuss a bit bit in regards to the music and the songs of your new movie?

RAJAMOULI: Every movie is completely different, Steve. It is a massive lure that many filmmakers are likely to fall into, making an attempt to see what are the weather within the earlier movie or the profitable movie, and since the audiences can be anticipating it, how will we recreate that? Every movie is completely different. Every movie has completely different, distinctive factors, with completely different feelings, completely different highs. I really feel we must always consider find out how to make that top greater or larger, somewhat than making an attempt to recreate from the earlier success. After all, we really feel nice about RRR and the way we carried out worldwide.

I take a look at Varanasi as, “How can I get these form of excessive moments,” however I don’t attempt to recreate that music into Varanasi. We could have music, which can be nice. Could have songs that are nice, however they will not be something like RRR.

Which shot or sequence of this movie so far has been probably the most difficult to drag off, or is it nonetheless in entrance of you?

RAJAMOULI: The sequence that I’m capturing now, in the course of the shoot, I believe that is without doubt one of the extra technically difficult moments. We needed to mix many identified applied sciences to realize what we would have liked to realize. And the sequence I do know, which can be actually troublesome, actually powerful to drag off, is a sequence that we now have already shot. It’s the Ramayana episode. So, we accomplished the shoot, and we all know the VFX for that’s going to be a very, actually powerful job for all of us.

Proper now, it’s November 2025. When do you truly end filming? What’s nonetheless in entrance of you?

RAJAMOULI: We have now accomplished about 50% of the shoot, and the 50% is behind us. We’re pondering we are able to end our shoot by subsequent June. One thing like that.

One of many issues that I realized from Priyanka was that you’ll shoot the rehearsals and everyone seems to be in avenue clothes, no matter they’re carrying, and then you definitely’ll edit that and present it to them with their simply regular garments, after which that is what you’ll truly shoot. Are you able to speak about your course of? As a result of that is uncommon.

RAJAMOULI: As a result of I work with actors from completely different industries, and I’m working with applied sciences which aren’t frequently utilized in filmmaking, it is vitally essential for the solid and crew to know, even for me to know, the method of how we’re going via filming it. So, I found out the easiest way to do it’s do a take a look at shoot. So get the actors, give them the traces, get my DP, get the people who find themselves concerned in it, the manufacturing designer, whoever is concerned in it, with the cameras, and let the actors do their appearing. It is a bit bit like an extension of the actors studying the scripts. They make investments. They do the studying. So I’m taking it a bit bit ahead. I’m doing the take a look at capturing as they’re studying the traces, making them act, and asking, “How do you love to do it? Would you prefer to stroll as you might be saying that? Would you want to take a seat? Would you lean onto one thing? Would you need one thing in your hand to discover?”

So, that offers us a whole lot of freedom. And I see them as they’re going via their traces and motions. I can see, my DP will have the ability to see through which pose or which motion, or which nonetheless second, they’re extra comfy with delivering their feelings. So, we can be having a number of cameras, and we can be capturing all of that, and we’ll do the edit on that and see how it’s flowing via, and that can be our foundation for capturing the precise shoot.

Varanasi is slated for international launch on April 7, 2027.