Goafest 2022: If an idea gets stuck in my head, I'm adamant on making that story for the big screen – SS Rajamouli

Actor Anupam Kher spoke to film director SS Rajamouli about how he envisions creativity from real life and turns them ino movies. 

 

He shared his life learnings and how he aims to convert a real idea in his mind and envisions it for the reel life. 

 

Bringing an idea to life 

 

When asked about his ideation process, Rajamouli stated that he thought about ideas very often.

 

Speaking about bringing alive an idea, he said, "Ideas come to me all the time. Most of the time I'll be thinking about stories, sequences, films and ideas that can work on screen. But, when an idea gets stuck in my head, then I'm adamant that this story should be made for the screen."

 

Speaking of going with his gut, Rajamouli reminisced the time he thought of shooting the now popular movie ‘Makhi’. Since the movie is centred around a fly as the protagonist, Kher asked Rajamouli how he went ahead with the idea and what expectations he had from it. 

 

“I got the idea of making Makhi because of my father. He told me a story like this and I instantly connected with it. In villages, you have flies around bothering you all the time. So, I went ahead to do this. A lot of people asked me if this movie would really be something. But due to my past successes, they probably thought I’d do something decent. But I was confident that it was a good story,” added Rajamouli. 

 

Facing the fear of failure

 

When Kher asked Rajamouli if it bothered him that an idea or a movie might not turn exactly how he imagined it to be, he stated that the concept of failure was different for everyone.

 

He said, “When we create something in our mind, we imagine it in the best possible way. However, getting it onto the screen, we have to go through so many processes. Sometimes it might not be the same way we perceived the idea to be. The overall film might work, but some scenes, songs or even one emotion could be different from what imagined it to be. That itself is a failure. But, you try to learn from your mistakes and adapt." 

 

Rajamouli added that mistakes must be studied, understood and corrected the next day, or whenever the next chance arises. 

 

When creating films 

 

Rajamouli admitted that he sometimes still struggles with direction process and has his. 

 

"I still don't know what shot clicks for me or what the right angle is. There are a series of ideas that run through my mind, but I still don't know what is the right thing to do. However, with the right director, the film gets executed well."

 

When having a candid conversation with Kher, Rajamouli shared that he came from a poor family, but they were never unhappy. “We were 13-14 of us in a small one BHK, but we never cribbed about it. We made fun of ourselves and role-played how we would escape the landlord or pay the rent. But, we were still happy.” 

 

Speaking about who his inspiration is, he named his sister-in–law as the one who helped him in his journey. He revealed that he and his brothers referred to their sister-in-law as ‘Amma’ (mother), since she was always around to help them.