Among the nation’s esteemed directors, Rajamouli holds a top position. From the beginning of his career to the present, he has maintained a streak of success without a single flop. Rajamouli is a master at grasping the pulse of the audience and crafting films accordingly. To date, each of the 12 films released under Rajamouli’s direction has achieved unique acclaim and remains evergreen in the eyes of the audience. However, many directors have attempted to emulate Rajamouli’s style and failed. They tried making films with similar themes to Rajamouli’s and ended up burning their fingers. Recently, Kanguva also followed Rajamouli’s pattern but ended up disappointing the audience. What are the reasons for this? What other films have faced setbacks by following Rajamouli’s approach? Let’s find out.
Did They Err by Comparing It to ‘Baahubali’?
The film Kanguva, directed by Shiva starring Suriya, was released worldwide on November 14. The pre-release event of this film invited Rajamouli, and the promotions hyped it as what ‘Baahubali‘ is to Tollywood, ‘Kanguva’ would be to Kollywood, setting high expectations. However, post-release, the situation seems to have turned upside down. Viewers felt that the film lacked the substance found in ‘Baahubali’ and criticized director Shiva for his flawed storytelling. Rajamouli is known for evoking strong emotions, but Kanguva failed to resonate emotionally with the audience. The characters could not engage the audience on a journey, and viewers commented that it’s worth watching the film only for Suriya’s performance.
Those Films Too Were the Same!
Like ‘Kanguva,’ several past films have tried to replicate Rajamouli’s formula and ended up being unsuccessful. The movie ‘Sakthi‘ (2011) featuring Jr. NTR and directed by Meher Ramesh, aimed to captivate like ‘Magadheera‘ but flopped. ‘Sakthi’ also revolved around a reincarnation theme but failed to capture the Telugu audience. ‘Brahmastra,’ starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, despite its large budget, failed to impress due to its inadequate content and visual spectacle. Even ‘Ponniyin Selvan,’ despite garnering positive reviews in Kollywood, could not create a sensation and only the first part met expectations while the second part did not live up to the hype. Bollywood’s ‘Shamshera,’ set against a British backdrop similar to RRR, also faced a terrible defeat. In Tamil, ‘Puli’ and in Malayalam, ‘Marakkar,’ although creating significant buzz in the style of a Rajamouli film, failed to succeed.
The Secret to Rajamouli’s Success!
When people think of a Rajamouli film, they envision a stellar cast, massive budget, spectacular graphics, and an evergreen story. These elements are considered reasons for his films’ sensational success. However, these factors are just key components that aid success, not the core of it. Rajamouli’s real formula lies in the emotional drama—something many films miss and only Rajamouli manages to carry through. He places significant emphasis on emotions in his films, which he believes are crucial for success. Rajamouli creates an emotional bond between the viewer and the characters, drawing the audience deeply into his movies. This engagement makes the characters linger with the viewers, even after leaving the cinema, prompting them to revisit the film. This emotional connection is something many directors struggle to emulate.
Rajamouli Busy with Upcoming Projects
Following RRR, Rajamouli is set to direct a new film featuring Mahesh Babu, known as SSMB 29, which will be a pan-world movie. This upcoming film will showcase Mahesh in a never-before-seen look, set against the backdrop of the Amazon forests, with significant location scouting happening in South Africa. British actress Naomi Scott has been confirmed as the heroine. The initial schedule will be completed in a Varanasi set in Hyderabad, after which the second schedule will move to South Africa.
