Modern Masters: S.S. Rajamouli: A glimpse into the life of a blockbuster visionary
3 Aug 2024 2:09 PM IST
Modern Masters: S.S. Rajamouli: A glimpse into the life of a blockbuster visionary
Netflix presents Modern Masters: S.S. Rajamouli gives us a brief look at this well-known director, who is famous for his expansive films. The documentary is presented as a loose conversation between Rajamouli and Anupama Chopra, a journalist, which explores the filmmaker’s personal and professional aspects, supplemented by stories from his family members and actors who have worked with him.
“I’m a slave to my story,” he tells Chopra with whom he co-produced the documentary. He continues, “I want to tell an incredible story; I want people to be invested in the movie.” Despite being similar to other directors’ dreams, these insights show Rajamouli’s unique way of making films. Yet it fails to go deep into what distinguishes him from others since it often skims through more profound aspects of his work.
But still, as much as the image of Rajamouli being charming sometimes comes out in this film under the direction of Raghav Khanna and joint direction by Tanvi Ajinkya, it does not provide an exhaustive analysis on how he directs. It goes largely mum about some of his greatest hits such as Magadheera, Eega or Baahubali series and RRR.
The 74-minute movie briefly recounts the early days when Rajamouli was growing up within a family that made movies discussing their challenges during this period. This happened because he was able to tap into industry secrets unlike most filmmakers due to the fact that he had access through his father, veteran script writer Vijayendra Prasad, thus informing him about show business.
His spouse Rama (the costume designer for all his movies) and step-son Kartikeya (assistant helping out in production) are also featured in this film. MM Keeravani, an Oscar-winning music composer and Rajamouli’s cousin, eulogizes his sincerity at work and gives it more meaning.
NTR Jr., an actor who has collaborated with him on several occasions jokingly asserts that Rajamouli uses his heroes as “missiles” rather than characters. He goes further saying, “Rajamouli will beg, borrow, steal and kill if he needs to get a hundred percent out of his team.” Those are some of the most insightful things written about Rajamouli in this documentary.
In spite of these moments however this film reads disjointed and misses chances to dwell upon Rajamouli’s impacts on Telugu cinema especially regarding mythological lore or multi-generational clans within the industry. These would have enriched the narrative by adding layers of richness to it.
At one point the documentary touches briefly upon how Rajamouli responded towards queries concerning casteism or sexism in Baahubali but his answers are shallow. Instead of being critically analyzed for its cinematic impact, the film strives to portray Rajamouli as a “global director” capable of Hollywood collaborations.
To sum it up Modern Masters: S.S. Rajamouli is a cozy look into India's celebrated directors but without going deep enough. The film succeeds in highlighting Rajamouli’s commitment to his craft as well as his familial relationships but does not fully reveal what makes him tick creatively speaking nor does it unveil what underpins some of his works in general.
“I’m a slave to my story,” he tells Chopra with whom he co-produced the documentary. He continues, “I want to tell an incredible story; I want people to be invested in the movie.” Despite being similar to other directors’ dreams, these insights show Rajamouli’s unique way of making films. Yet it fails to go deep into what distinguishes him from others since it often skims through more profound aspects of his work.
But still, as much as the image of Rajamouli being charming sometimes comes out in this film under the direction of Raghav Khanna and joint direction by Tanvi Ajinkya, it does not provide an exhaustive analysis on how he directs. It goes largely mum about some of his greatest hits such as Magadheera, Eega or Baahubali series and RRR.
The 74-minute movie briefly recounts the early days when Rajamouli was growing up within a family that made movies discussing their challenges during this period. This happened because he was able to tap into industry secrets unlike most filmmakers due to the fact that he had access through his father, veteran script writer Vijayendra Prasad, thus informing him about show business.
His spouse Rama (the costume designer for all his movies) and step-son Kartikeya (assistant helping out in production) are also featured in this film. MM Keeravani, an Oscar-winning music composer and Rajamouli’s cousin, eulogizes his sincerity at work and gives it more meaning.
NTR Jr., an actor who has collaborated with him on several occasions jokingly asserts that Rajamouli uses his heroes as “missiles” rather than characters. He goes further saying, “Rajamouli will beg, borrow, steal and kill if he needs to get a hundred percent out of his team.” Those are some of the most insightful things written about Rajamouli in this documentary.
In spite of these moments however this film reads disjointed and misses chances to dwell upon Rajamouli’s impacts on Telugu cinema especially regarding mythological lore or multi-generational clans within the industry. These would have enriched the narrative by adding layers of richness to it.
At one point the documentary touches briefly upon how Rajamouli responded towards queries concerning casteism or sexism in Baahubali but his answers are shallow. Instead of being critically analyzed for its cinematic impact, the film strives to portray Rajamouli as a “global director” capable of Hollywood collaborations.
To sum it up Modern Masters: S.S. Rajamouli is a cozy look into India's celebrated directors but without going deep enough. The film succeeds in highlighting Rajamouli’s commitment to his craft as well as his familial relationships but does not fully reveal what makes him tick creatively speaking nor does it unveil what underpins some of his works in general.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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