Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli, better known as SS Rajamouli, in the Indian film industry is a director and screenwriter who works mainly in Telugu cinema. He is considered to be the highest paid director in India and his films mainly fall into the genres of action, fantasy, and larger-than-life epics. Three of his films, Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), and RRR (2022) are among the top five highest grossing-films in India.
SS Rajamouli was born on October 10, 1973, in a Telugu family near Manvi in Raichur district of Karnataka. His parents are V Vijayendra Prasad and Raja Nandini.
SS Rajamouli began his career as an apprentice with veteran film editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao and worked with him for six months. He started writing for films but was always disappointed by the execution of his stories by other directors. It was this frustration that urged him to become a director.
In 2001, Raghavendra Rao offered Rajamouli the chance to direct a feature film under his production titled Student No: 1, which the latter accepted. Raghavendra Rao provided the screenplay in addition to supervising the direction. Post this, he realised he wanted to make more drama and action films.
SS Rajamouli's second movie Simhadri (2003) was an action masala film. His 2005 film Chatrapathi, starring Prabhas, was an action drama set in Vizag dealing with the plight of refugees.
In his next project Vikramarkudu (2006), SS Rajamouli worked with Ravi Teja and Anushka Shetty. It was a huge success and was remade into several Indian languages including Kannada as Veera Madakari (2009), Tamil as Siruthai (2011), and Hindi as Rowdy Rathore (2012).
SS Rajamouli married Rama, the sister-in-law of his cousin, Keeravani, in 2001. He adopted Karthikeya, Rama's son from her previous marriage. The couple also has an adopted daughter Mayookha.
In this India Today Special conversation, filmmaker Meghna Gulzar and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran discuss their film Daayra, addressing thematic complexities surrounding sexual assault cases, extrajudicial encounter killings, and growing public disillusionment with the criminal justice system. The discussion explores how systemic bottlenecks and an overburdened judiciary with millions of pending cases lead to public frustration, often driving societal support for immediate retribution and police encounters over constitutional due process. Reflecting on landmark events such as the 2012 Nirbhaya case and the 2019 Hyderabad police encounter, the creators dissect the moral conflicts faced by law enforcement and citizens alike. Prithviraj Sukumaran elaborates on his role as DCP Raman, explaining how the narrative juxtaposes violent crimes against women with retaliatory police actions to prompt societal dialogue without validating vigilantism or offering simplistic moral conclusions. Additionally, Meghna Gulzar highlights the civic function of cinema in confronting uncomfortable social realities rather than relying on standard commercial tropes. The panel also covers casting decisions, the shifting dynamics between theatrical exhibition and digital streaming platforms, and the increasing convergence between regional and mainstream Indian film industries.
After technical glitches derailed his film event, SS Rajamouli’s emotional admission about his atheism sparked complaints and confusion.
Actor Mahesh Babu made a grand entry at the 'Varanasi' event by riding an electric bull. Directed by SS Rajamouli and co-starring Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film will release in 2027.
Priyanka Chopra stunned fans by speaking in Telugu at the title launch of her upcoming film 'Varanasi'. Co-starring Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran, the SS Rajamouli-directed film will release in Summer 2027.
Loved Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur-starrer 'Made In Heaven'? Sadly, there will be no season 3 of the show. The latest episode of 'In Da Club' also has a look at 'Kantara Chapter 1' box office report and how Bollywood and the occasion of Karwa Chauth share a timeless devotion.
On the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 75th birthday today, several eminent personalities from Indian cinema extended their best wishes.
Priyanka Chopra’s latest Hollywood action-comedy 'Heads of State', co-starring John Cena and Idris Elba, is now streaming on Prime Video. In an exclusive interview with India Today, the actor opened up about her excitement for her next Indian film.
Priyanka Chopra, who was in Odisha for the shooting of her upcoming film, SSMB 29, was recently clicked at Mumbai airport. The actor even posed for the paparazzi.
Actor Priyanka Chopra arrived in Mumbai for her brother's wedding. The actor is in India for the shoot of her upcoming film with SS Rajamouli and Mahesh Babu.
SS Rajamouli, along with his family, was seen outside a restaurant in Mumbai. The director wore a classic white shirt . He also smiled and posed for the paparazzi.
Shah Rukh Khan took to social media to congratulate SS Rajamouli for winning Gloden Globe Awards for Best Original Song. The filmmaker had earlier extended his wishes to the Bollywood superstar on Pathaan's trailer release.
In a first for India, the film RRR earned its first Golden Globes for the year in the Best Original Song category for Naatu Naatu. The song was composed by veteran music director MM Keeravaani and penned by Kala Bhairavi and Rahul Sipligunj. MM Keeravaani received the award and thanked the fans globally for all the love. I am very much overwhelmed by this great moment happening.
Congratulations poured in from all quarters for the RRR team after a historic win at the Golden Globe Award 2023. Hit track Naatu Naatu won the best original song at the Golden Globes this year. This is the first time an Indian film has won a Golden Globe Award.
Transformers Rise of Beasts director Steven Caple Jr opened up about the film in an exclusive interview with IndiaToday.in. When asked about his knowledge of the Indian film industry, he spoke about watching RRR and praised the SS Rajamouli film. RRR starred Ram Charan and Jr NTR in key roles.
RRR composed a majority of the first quarter of 2023 after it won big at Golden Globes 2023 and Oscar 2023. Ram Charan, who is currently in Kashmir for G20 Summit, did the famous Naatu Naatu hook step with G20 delegates. The film also starred Jr NTR and was helmed by SS Rajamouli. Watch the video now!
It’s time to go ‘Naatu Naatu'! SS Rajamouli’s RRR song ‘Naatu Naatu’ won Oscars for Best Original Song at the 95th Academy Awards. But do you know that there's the Oscar Curse for winners who’ve reached the highest level of industry acclaim? What exactly is the Oscars Curse? Watch here.
Filmmaker SS Rajamouli's Telugu blockbuster "RRR" has lifted four trophies at the 2023 HCA Film Awards, including best international film and best action film. At the award ceremony, organised by the Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and held at Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles on Friday night, the film also took home the award for best stunts, while its Oscar-nominated track "Naatu Naatu" won the best original song trophy. "RRR" is a pre-Independence fictional story focusing on two real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s -- Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR). The movie has so far won a Golden Globe for best original song for "Naatu Naatu" as well as two Critics Choice Awards -- best foreign language film and best song for "Naatu Naatu".
SS Rajamouli's RRR made India proud again at the Critics Choice Awards 2023. The film won not one but two awards.
RRR is on a roar! The film, which worked wonders at the box office when it released in March, went on to win two nominations at Golden Globes 2023. In case you missed, the film won its first nomination for Best Original song category (Naatu Naatu), and another was for Best Picture Non-English language category. The film stars Jr NTR and Ram Charan in lead roles. Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn made their South debuts with the project. What do you think are RRR's chances of winning at the Golden Globes next year?
