SS Rajamouli answers if he's ‘supporting the BJP’ with his films: 'A BJP leader threatened to burn cinema halls showing RRR'

SS Rajamouli: RRR has achieved unprecedented success worldwide, and has given SS Rajamouli a distinct identity in Western countries as well. The film has been appreciated for its action sequences and dance numbers, the subtext of the film has been read in more ways than not, with many claiming that RRR has been made according to the trend going on in the country.

RRR not an agenda film

In a new interview with The New Yorker, Rajamouli was asked whether "pressure was being exerted on you, whether from anti-Muslim or nationalist, BJP supporters or even the RSS?" The director of Baahubali said, "No, never directly, never."

He said that no one "has ever approached me to make an agenda film, whatever the agenda may be." He said that for some years his films have received "objections" from "less prominent" people. He told, "Sometimes Muslims object, sometimes Hindus, sometimes different castes."

When asked whether the "recent rise of nationalism, as well as anti-Muslim sentiment" has affected the way films are made in India, Rajamouli said he doesn't think of it that way, but added, "Films are based on society. This reflects the dynamic of cinema as filmmakers have to cater to the audience. If this kind of feeling increases in the society then these kind of films will be made. But I always stay away from it. I would have gone a completely different path."

Religion is essentially an exploitation

RRR director addresses himself as an atheist. However, his family members are religious. He said, "Then I got caught up in my family's religious fervour. I started reading religious texts, going on pilgrimages, wearing saffron cloth, and living like a sannyasi (ascetic) for a few years. Then I caught onto Christianity, thanks to some friends. I'd read the Bible, go to church, and all kinds of stuff. Gradually, all these things somehow made me feel that religion is essentially a kind of exploitation."

'A BJP leader threatened to burn cinema halls showing RRR'

Rajamouli addressed those who have accused him of "supporting the BJP or BJP's agenda" and recalled an incident where he was at the receiving end of a BJP leader's objections. He recalled that in 2020, when he released the poster for Jr NTR's character Komaram Bheem wearing a skull, there were objections against it. In the film, Bheem disguises himself in this form when he is on a mission in Delhi. “A BJP leader threatened to burn cinema halls showing RRR and said he would hit me on the road if we didn't remove the cap. That's why people can decide for themselves whether I am a BJP person or not," he said.

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