It was the film, Baahubali, that catapulted SS Rajamouli to the national stage and beyond, and the ace director says that he has actor Suriya to thank for it.
During a recent pre-release event for Suriya's highly anticipated film Kanguva in Hyderabad, which the filmmaker attended as the chief guest, he credited the Soorarai Pottru actor for inspiring him to make his films pan-Indian.
At the event, to honour the chief guest, the organisers prepared a video tribute to Rajamouli and how he led the trend of pan-India film creation. When the director took the stage, he had this to say. “They just played an AV that I began the pan-India trend and all. But let me tell you frankly. The main inspiration for me wanting to take Telugu cinema beyond AP and Telangana is Suriya.”
“During Ghajini, Suriya would come here and promote his films. I would tell producers and actors that the way he grew close to the Telugu audience was a case study. That we must push films in other regions too, gain the love of the Tamil audience. Suriya, you are my inspiration for the pan-India film market,” Rajamouli added.
“We were once supposed to work on a film together, but it didn’t work out. Suriya mentioned somewhere that it was a missed opportunity for him. But it’s me who missed the opportunity to work with him; I regret it. I love him, his on-screen presence and his acting so much. I respect that he chose to go after a story rather than a filmmaker though,” he said, referring to Suriya's decision to turn down an unspecified role in Baahubali, a decision which the actor had later come to regret.
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Suriya thanked the filmmaker for his kind words and how he is an inspiration to everyone in the Tamil film industry. “Rajamouli garu has shown us a great path, and we are following in his footsteps. Kanguva cannot be compared to any of Rajamouli garu’s films, but we are inspired by his work. I once missed the opportunity to work with Rajamouli garu, and I am still waiting for that chance.”
Rajamouli's next project dubbed SSMB29, starring Mahesh Babu, is set to begin in January 2025.
Kanguva, directed by Siva, also stars Disha Patani, Bobby Deol, Aarash Shah and Yogi Babu. It is slated to release on November 14.