Manipal: As part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Manipal Institute of Technology, a talk by renowned film-maker and Padma Shri S S Rajamouli was held on September 22 at the MIT quadrangle.
The man behind the 2015 blockbuster movie “Baahubali” clarified that he wanted the session to be interactive, throwing the floor open to questions from the very start.
Narrating instances from his personal life, he traced his journey from being a tv show maker under K Raghavendra Rao to directing the highest grossing film of the country. “I was actually directing a few advertisements for the government of Andhra Pradesh. I was not Raghavendra’s choice for the ad films but when it came to the serials, he picked me out,” said the recipient of the Padma Shri Award.
Stressing on the importance of honesty as a part of one’s strategy for success, he claimed that his sincerity and dedication are the factors that have led him to this stage. “Sometimes it is important to act to get your way through,” he said, stating that he has always oscillated between fear and confidence, whether it was his first work or his most famous work.
When questioned about the constant reference to mythology in his films he elucidated, “I have grown up reading Amar Chitra Katha, Bal Bharati, Bal Ramayanam and the like. I was always so interested in them. It is not just about mythology but also fantasy. It drives me and inspires me to tell stories.” For him, making his actors familiar with their roles is a complex process, wherein he helps them to adapt to the skin of the character through a series of selective stages. Speaking about his tradition to trademark his films, he expounded that it is just a precaution taken to avoid infringement. Elaborating on the importance of graphics and CGI effects in films he stated, “Visual effect is a very powerful tool. But you can never make a film succeed with just that.” According to him, the screenplay is the most important element in movie-making when compared to other aspects, such as cinematography.
The quadrangle was jam-packed with people from various institutes of the university assembling in huge numbers. With the majority of the crowd of Telegu origin, the event was quite momentous for them. The program also saw a brief cultural performance at the very beginning. “It was a nice event. A few points that he talked about were really inspiring “ said Padma Venkat, a third-year student of the Faculty of Architecture.