Arguably the best story writer in the country, Vijayendra Prasad (director Rajamouli’s father) is currently riding high on the super success of RRR. “We are satisfied that the audiences have made the film a super hit,” he says.
'RRR' story writer, Vijayendra Prasad
Though the film has posted staggering numbers at the box office, Prasad however clarifies that he has never been into the numbers game. Ask him if there’s any pressure on him to write stories to outdo his own previous films, and he insists that he has never thought along those lines. “More than the success aspect, the pressure is to think up a subject for our next film,” he clarifies. “I only look at doing justice to whatever story I write, because ultimately, the characters and the story should speak for themselves,” he adds.
He asserts that the hard work he put into RRR was the same as he did for his other movies.
Rajamouli's next film is with Mahesh Babu, and Prasad is currently working on the script. He reveals that it is a big budget film.
Acknowledging that there’s a possibility of a sequel to RRR, he says though he’s preoccupied with prior commitments, work on RRR 2 may start after Mahesh Babu’s film has been completed.
“I am currently working on the sequel to Rowdy Rathore, and Vikramarkudu. I am also working on the story of Mahesh Babu’s film, an action adventure. Perhaps the sequel to RRR may begin after that,” says Prasad, while stressing that any talk on the subject is actually premature.
Prasad also admits that writing a story balancing two star heroes is challenging. There has been a strong buzz in social media that Ram Charan got more screen time and a better character arc than Jr NTR in RRR. Fans of Jr NTR have made the same allegation.
Reacting to the criticism, Prasad asserts that he has done justice to all the characters as demanded by the story. “We have conveyed what we wanted to. We intended to tell a riveting story of two superheroes, and we feel we have succeeded in doing that. I always believe that the story is bigger than any individual,” he says, adding, “Both the actors were glad to be part of the narrative. Moreover, they’re good friends. Because of this, the scenes came out beautifully.”
Prasad has written the stories of most of the films directed by his son. However, he has penned stories for other films too. Ask him whether Rajamouli is also open to directing films written by others, Prasad says, “Yes, why not?” Elaborating, he says, “Look, a story should excite a director. When that factor is there, any filmmaker will have a clear idea of how to execute the project.”
He also clarifies that he puts the same effort into films directed by Rajamouli and those by others “Writing is my profession, isn’t it? I need to do justice to whatever story I want to tell” he says.
We ask him to describe his relationship with Rajamouli outside films. “Just like any father-son share,” is his answer. “When it comes to films, he’s a director and I am a writer and we have our responsibilities clearly defined,” he says.
