With a broad grin, SS Rajamouli confirms the obvious.
“I’m the happiest person in the world right now,” said the RRR director relayed from Saturday’s BAFTA Tea Party in Beverly Hills. Rajamouli stood in a back corner of the ballroom in what was probably a rare moment of peace and quiet during a frenetic awards season in which his film was honored with a slew of nominations and wins from various groups of critics and associations, with more likely to come follow. . And he was game for listing the many reasons why it’s so easy to scam these days.
“It all feels really great,” the leader continued, though admittedly he would like more to shoot the film that revolves around two revolutionaries on their journey away from home before going to fight for their country in the 1920s. “To be honest, every storyteller is a very, very greedy person. They want their stories to be heard by many more people. Even if 100,000 people watch your story, we want another 100,000.”
Enough has already been seen RRR and Rajamouli is grateful to Netflix for helping to make that happen by streaming his movie and helping it reach a wider audience around the world. “We were happy with the kind of reception we had for the film from the Indian audience, but when we started getting the same kind of response through Netflix from Americans, Japanese and from so many countries, it made me really happy.”
M M Keeravani, N T Rama Rao Jr. and SS Rajamouli at a Golden Globes after-party by Billboard at the Beverly Hilton on January 10, 2023.
Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images
Another reason to smile: RRR won a Golden Globe at the recent awards with a trophy going to Kala Bhairava, MM Keeravani and Rahul Sipligunj for their song “Naatu Naatu” beating music superstars Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift. Rihanna happened to be at the Beverly Hilton that night, and as she left the broadcast, she congratulated the RRR table on her way out.
“It was surreal,” Rajamouli said when he saw Rihanna pass by with kind words. [See the moment here.] “We were so happy about getting the award and huddling at the table and then all of a sudden we see her walking towards us. “I kept thinking, is that Rihanna? Is that really her? Then she said, “Congratulations, boys.” Before the moment could even sink in, she was gone. It was so nice of her to stop by and congratulate us. It made us so happy.”
Rajamouli spoke THR on the eve of the Critics Choice Awards taking place Sunday night in Century City. His film received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Song. It earned two trophies for the last two categories.
Latest: Rajamouli was still smiling 24 hours after meeting Steven Spielberg, someone he described as “God” in an Instagram post that included photos of the encounter at a cocktail reception on Friday. “I spent five minutes with him and I don’t remember what I talked to him about. I just looked at him,” recalls 49-year-old Rajamouli. “I took a picture with him and he was so hot. So hot. His films have made such a big impression on me for decades. I tried to stay in the moment.”
