Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli review - A delightful odyssey into the life of the maverick filmmaker!

Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli review - A delightful odyssey into the life of the maverick filmmaker!

Right at the beginning of this 75-minute documentary, film critic Anupama Chopra who has produced it quips to Rajamouli if she can name it as “From Hyderabad to Hollywood” and thus begins the remarkable peek into the life of the maverick filmmaker which reveals various dimensions of his creative genius.  

Modern Masters is directed by Raghav Khanna and Tanvi Ajinkya where his family members and various important film celebrities including the likes of Ram Charan, Prabhas, Junior NTR and Rana Daggubati speak about him and share interesting anecdotes taking us down the memory lane and revisiting the classics – Magadheera, Bahubali and the recent one, RRR. 

Rajamouli and motion are synonymous. He admits, he can think only when he is moving. No wonder, his films are associated with spectacular kinetics and dynamism. A brief testimonial from James Cameron about him where he emphasizes on the physicality of his heroes, cements the man’s scale of vision and spectacle of his storytelling.

With a perennial smiling face reflecting his inherent decency and humility, Rajamouli recounts his early days with Anupama Chopra, strolling in the streets of New York and sipping coffee at a cafe overlooking the Hollywood hill. Chopra also conducts some candid conversations with M M Kreem, his cousin, his father and script writer Vijayendra Prasad, wife Rama and son Kartikeya. Rama blushes while reminiscing about their courtship and how ordinary was his marriage proposal to her. The heroes of his films recount on his eccentricity and how tough a task master he is. Rajamouli humbly states the inevitable creative differences with his father.

This is a film which I believe every aspiring filmmaker should watch. Articulated clearly in reverence of the ‘global’ director, a tag which he is reluctant to accept, it is also replete with nostalgic montages and behind-the-scenes footage and captivating narratives.