
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.






Why Trying to Imitate Rajamouli’s Magic Backfires: The Lessons 'Kanguva' and Other Films Learned the Hard Way


A new trend of cameo appearances has started in the Indian film industry. Industries like Tollywood, Bollywood, and Kollywood, without distinction, are following this trend and reaping successful results. By incorporating stars from other industries into their films for powerful cameo roles, they are creating significant hype among audiences and achieving blockbuster successes. However, many may not know that our Megastar was the pioneer in bringing life to these cameo roles. Chiranjeevi laid the foundation for this trend with a guest role in a Rajinikanth film. What was that film? Let’s explore this special feature on the best cameo films till now.



[toc]



Chiru's Cameo



Chiranjeevi starred in the Telugu hit 'Attaku Yamudu Ammayiki Mogudu' produced by Geetha Arts under Allu Aravind and directed by Kodandarami Reddy. Later, this film was remade in Tamil with Rajinikanth as 'Maapillai' by Allu Aravind. In this film, Megastar Chiranjeevi made a striking cameo. He appears at a temple stairs fighting a riotous mob intent on disrupting the hero's wedding. Notably, Srihari also appears in these scenes. Chiru even delivered his lines in Tamil himself. When Rajinikanth introduces his mother-in-law, Chiru whispers in his ear, "Your mother-in-law looks good!" (in Tamil) to which Rajinikanth responds jokingly, "You look like you're causing trouble! Leave now, man!" This cameo was unexpected at the time. Chiru and Rajinikanth had already acted together in several films, but this was the first time Chiru appeared in a guest role. Now, this practice is widely adopted across various industries.




https://twitter.com/i/status/1212794102867083265




Films with Stunning Cameos



Mr. Bachchan



In 'Mr. Bachchan', a film by Ravi Teja and Harish Shankar, young hero Siddhu Jonnalagadda made a special cameo. Despite the film's flop status, Siddu's cameo still managed to elicit whistles in the theaters.







Kalki 2898 AD



In 'Kalki 2898 AD', directed by Nag Ashwin and starring Prabhas, several stars made impressive cameos. Young hero Vijay Deverakonda, Tamil actor Dulquer Salmaan, actress Mrunal Thakur, legendary director Rajamouli, and Ram Gopal Varma briefly shined on the screen. Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan played full-length roles in this film.







Salaar



In 'Salaar', featuring Prabhas and directed by Prashanth Neel, well-known Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran played a significant role. However, it wasn't a cameo. He appeared as both a friend and a foe to Prabhas in a full-length role.







Jailer



In 'Jailer', starring Rajinikanth, two star heroes made cameo appearances. Malayalam actor Mohanlal and Kannada star hero Shivaraj Kumar appeared in guest roles, captivating the audience.







Vikram



In 'Vikram', directed by Lokesh Kanagarajan and starring Kamal Haasan, Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi and Malayalam actor Fahadh Faasil played key roles and significantly contributed to the film's success. Suriya appeared as Rolex in the climax, delivering a goosebump-inducing performance.







Brahmastra



In 'Brahmastra', directed by Ayan Mukherjee and starring Ranbir Kapoor, Telugu cinema legend Nagarjuna Akkineni made a special cameo. He impressed everyone with his action sequences.







Waltair Veerayya



In 'Waltair Veerayya', starring Megastar Chiranjeevi, star hero Ravi Teja played an important role, reaffirming his admiration for Chiru. The film achieved good success at the box office.







Acharya



In Chiranjeevi's previous film 'Acharya', Ram Charan appeared in a guest role. Before this, Charan had appeared in special roles in 'Magadheera' and 'Bruce Lee', surprising the audience.







Laal Singh Chaddha



In 'Laal Singh Chaddha', starring Bollywood star Aamir Khan, Akkineni Naga Chaitanya played a significant role. Although the film did not meet expectations, Chaitanya's performance was well-received.







Liger



In 'Liger', starring Vijay Deverakonda, world-famous boxer Mike Tyson appeared in the climax, surprising everyone. However, director Puri Jagannadh faced criticism for not utilizing him effectively.






How was the movie?