Koduri Srisela Sri Rajamouli is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He is the highest paid director in India, and is known for his action, fantasy and epic genre films. Three of his films, Baahubali: The Beginning, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, and RRR are among the top six highest-grossing films in India till date. All three films were also the costliest Indian films ever made at the time of their release. He is the recipient of various national and international honors including the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Critics’ Choice Movie Award, two Saturn Awards, three National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South and five Nandi Awards. In 2016, for his contribution in the field of arts, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri.
Rajamouli has directed twelve feature films so far and all of them have been successful at the box office. Baahubali 2 is currently the highest-grossing film in India, and sold over 100 million tickets during its run at the box office; Highest estimated admission for any film in India since Sholay. The 2009 fantasy action film Magadheera was the highest-grossing Telugu film at the time of its release.
His 2012 film Eega won the award for Most Original Film at the 8th Toronto After Dark Film Festival. The Baahubali films have received six Saturn Award nominations, with Baahubali 2 winning the award for Best International Film. RRR has received numerous international accolades including an Academy Award nomination for being a global sensation, a Golden Globe Award and two Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
Many of Rajamouli’s films are characterized by their epic grandeur, stylized action sequences, unbridled heroism, and larger-than-life characters with historical and mythological references. His films are known for their integration of CGI with practical effects. With his Bahubali films, he has led an all India film movement. He is also credited with expanding the market of Telugu cinema and South Indian cinema in North India and international markets.
Rajamouli is committed to work with actor Mahesh Babu. The film, touted as a jungle adventure film set in Africa, is expected to begin its production in 2023. While attending the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, he revealed more details about the project. “My next film with Mahesh Babu will be a globetrotting action adventure.
It’s going to be a James Bond or Indiana Jones kind of film with Indian roots. In September 2022, he signed with US talent agency Creative Artists Agency, a move described as a “coup for the agency”. There were also reports of plans for a live-action animated film rooted in Indian content. In August 2022, he revealed that he was working on some scripts that would be suitable to be made as animation films.
Rajamouli has often spoken about his intention to make a film based on the Indian epic Mahabharata in the future. He thinks it will be at least a four-part project requiring a time period of six to ten years. In May 2017 he said, “I don’t want to compromise on making this and this massive project is probably going to take 10 years. I am apprehensive about whether I will be able to execute such a techno-superior project.” He also revealed that established film stars may not be included in the film series.
He said, “This is the kind of film, if I take stars along, it will not work. Once the individual characters are designed, I have to find the right actors and mold them accordingly.” In July 2022 he said, “Mahabharat has been my long, long, long dream project, but it will take me a long time to step into that ocean. I want to make maybe three or four films before stepping into Mahabharat.” He also expressed his desire to make a film on historical rulers Sri Krishnadevaraya, Rajaraja Narendra, Kakatiya, Rani Abbakka on several occasions.
Rajamouli married Ram, the sister-in-law of his cousin Keeravani, in 2001. After their marriage, Ram worked as a costume designer for several of Rajamouli’s films. He adopted Kartikeya, the son of Rama from his previous marriage. The couple also has an adopted daughter, Mayookha. Karthikeya is married to Pooja Prasad, niece of Telugu actor Jagapathi Babu.
Rajamouli’s cousin, MM Keeravani has worked as the music composer for all his films. His other cousins Kalyani Malik and M M Sreelekha are also musicians. SS Kanchi, a screenwriter and actor best known for his role in the sitcom Amritham, is one of his cousins. He collaborated with Rajamouli as a script doctor on several of his films and also acted in four of his films. Raja Koduri, an executive vice president at Intel, is also his cousin. Rajamouli K. Raghavendra Rao as his guru and mentor. He cited Gunnam Gangaraju as his philosopher and guide, who influenced his worldview.
Rajamouli is nicknamed Jakkanna, after the great 12th-century sculptor Jakanachari, who is credited with building several temples during the Hoysala reign. The moniker was coined by actor Rajeev Kanakala during the making of the TV serial Santhi Nivasam directed by Rajamouli and was in reference to his work ethic and perfectionism like the famous sculptor.
Regarding his religious views, in a March 2022 interview, Rajamouli said that “I don’t believe in God or religion the way it is portrayed now. But if you ask me ‘Do you believe in the existence of God?’ I would say ‘I don’t know’.” At the Beyond Fest 2022 in Los Angeles, Rajamouli said that he is not a Hindu in the religious sense, but he is ‘absolutely’ a Hindu considering it a religion. “I am a follower of Hinduism”, he said. In 2017, the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu consulted Rajamouli for inputs on the design of Amaravati, the proposed capital of the state.
