[0:00]എല്ലാവർക്കും നമസ്കാരം. ഞാൻ വളരെ എക്സൈറ്റഡ് ആയിട്ട് ഇരിക്കുകയാണ് സത്യം പറഞ്ഞാൽ എന്റെ ബിപി ഒക്കെ കൂടി കൂടി എവിടെയോ എത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ട്. Because എന്റെ മുൻപിൽ ഇരിക്കുന്നവർ ഒരു വേൾഡ് വൈഡ് ആയിട്ട് ഫേമസ് ആയിട്ടുള്ള പാൻ ഇന്ത്യ സൂപ്പർ ഹീറോസ് ആണ്. ആൻഡ് ഇവരോട് ഞാൻ ഇന്ന് അടിച്ചുപൊളിക്കാൻ പോകുവാണ്. ഇതൊരു ഓണറാണ് ബിക്കോസ് നിങ്ങളെപോലത്തെ ശോ. I think I should switch to English. It's an honor to You speak you speak you can speak in Malayalam. അപ്പൊ എനിക്ക് ഭയങ്കര സന്തോഷമുണ്ട് ബിക്കോസ് നിങ്ങളെപ്പോലത്തെ വലിയ വലിയ ആൾക്കാരുടെ മുൻപിൽ ഇരിക്കുക. സത്യം പറഞ്ഞാൽ ഞാൻ ഇന്നലെ ഉറങ്ങിയിട്ടില്ല. I slept at only 9:30 in the night. How was that? So the thing is it's not an easy job to interview people like you because I have to read up so much. നിങ്ങളുടെയൊക്കെ ഐ വാച്ച്ഡ് ഓൾ യുവർ ഇന്റർവ്യൂസ് ആൻഡ് the more I watched, the more nervous I got. I'm like these guys are so cool so chilled out so what do I ask them? And then today I realized that it's just to like relax and just be myself. So I'm really nervous I'm so sorry. Perfect. So let me start with the master brain over here Rajamouli sir. Kerala loves you people over there adore you and we watch your film first day first day morning show 5:30 show and all we go and watch. Um because that's the kind of acceptance you've received from our audience. And I just want to ask you you're not limited to Telugu anymore you are a Pan India famous person. And you cater to audience worldwide and as you know India is not like we have cultural diversity. Even in case of from Kerala like there is a lot of difference. How do you manage to connect with audience across the globe the same way. Like it's like everybody understands your film whether it's the story or the emotion or the values even the food. How do you do that? No see culturally we might be different we might be speaking different languages. The way we behave for different instances might be different but what we feel is the same our emotions are the same. This is the answer I knew he would say because you're an emotional person. Thank you so much for that answer is there anything else that you think about or do you consciously put some element of commonness when you try to write some. No the commonness is the story itself when I'm making the story I I I don't don't put a conscious effort but unconsciously I'll be making stories which are like universal. In nature. Universal in nature. Yeah so at the end of it if I look at my story and say is this an universal kind of story. Then I try to make it commercially a Pan Indian film or catering to the Indians all across the globe that kind of. If I find a like a Mariyada Ramanna kind of then I will make it only in Telugu. Okay so now that's how you choose so you decide which one is supposed to be Pan India so you decide. So next question is um like he said the strength of his film is the strength of the heroes. The emotional strength they may not have necessarily superpowers that that is like unusual but the heroes have a superpower of emotional strength. And when he called you for this film how did you guys feel like okay you both are gonna turn into superheroes. Things that you can't do in real life you're gonna explore and in front of the camera and it's you're gonna watch that on big screen how did you feel? I mean see it's it's not about feeling this you know this this feeling of being a superhero. I think the fact is as an actor you're very excited you're like in a candy shop. Yeah. When you're when you're working with Rajamouli there's a lot of you're like a child in a candy shop where you can grab there's so much for you to grab there's so much for you to Does he let you grab everything. He does yeah see that's what he wants his actors to do. You're never pampered but you at least are like a kid in a candy shop where you can grab there's so much for you to grab there's so much for you to Awesome.
[4:14]So that's what an actor is more excited about. More than okay now you're uh dealing you know like working with the director post Baahubali no it was never like that. Nothing has changed in Rajamouli since our first film together. That's another question I've written please don't ruin that I've like planned a question about it I'll ask you and what about you sir like how did you feel? I think the thirst for an actor is really satisfied when you work with him. And that's what I look forward when I am entering his sets and he challenges you not pampers you. He challenges you he the thirst of an actor and in every aspect as in action dance even in dance he literally doesn't show us but he would have really done his homework. I tried the Naatu Naatu step I just can't get it. Just can't get it. He'll teach no it's not such a difficult step but you should actually try to do it with somebody and that's when it's tends to become difficult. It I just can't get it right how long did you guys take to learn that step because the whole nation is like the worldwide reals Instagram wherever you open everyone's doing this step. Um and most of them are getting it right some are not but they're still acting as if they're getting it right. And it's all about that trend you know and how did you how long did you take to get that step right. It didn't take long. We both learned it instantly as I as I told you you know before that the step itself is very easy but what's actually tough is the coordination. And the Yes so that's where the challenge is and and and I don't know it was it just it just went viral yeah without even pushing it.
[6:23]It was so organic. Yes. You know like Rajamouli mentioned it he was like you know there a mother with a son or a daughter a father with a son and a daughter to you know two brothers a brother and a sister. A husband and a wife. There's no limit to I saw a group of people like so many people together they they co-ordinate. I have people who actually really really really excelled it like with perfect sync and all. So the step as it is is not very tough but it's the sync which we we we had to get that was that really killed us. Sir both of them are very energetic like on the interviews I could see them like being like children they're so so unruly sometimes. How did you handle them on the set like was it easy or was it did you have to get he's good with children. But he did not. No when when they when they are in the mood to act and perform they're very good students they're you don't need to tell them what to do and they're in that in that phase.
[7:28]And suddenly it goes off and they become like not even just school children they'll become like kindergarten kids. No so how do you control kindergarten kids you can't control them you just have to wait for that for that phase to go away and that's it. So both of you have worked with him before. Um I just wanted this is what I wanted to ask you this question is for both of you Ram sir like how was it to work with them in the past and how is he as a director now like what has changed or has anything changed at all. I think everything became 10x. His thought process the horizon he's now uh set for everyone is uh way bigger. Way deeper in terms of writing it's way deeper I've really after a long time I've seen all his films I think I've enjoyed and I'm sure I will also enjoy seeing the the depth of writing which we have enacted for was uh was was something to it's a treat for audience it was a treat for us when we were working it's a treat for the audience the writing.
[8:52]Me too all of us are we are ready we are like brace yourself. What about you where did you nudge him right now? He nudged me when you were talking to him. I swear he nudged me when you were talking. You saw what you did right. I'm seeing everything. Yeah.
[9:09]So about you what has changed? Yeah as as Charan said I would like cut copy paste everything he said just would like to add that he's bigger hungrier thirstier. And and even madder than what he was one of the best we have in India and I think And I think he has to be that too. As South Indians we feel so proud when our movie releases and it's like it's a statement made. And it's like we fit in and not just fit in we are at par or maybe better and even Bollywood celebrates our films right so that's that's a huge achievement. And we cannot talk about RRR without mentioning Baahubali and the great success that it achieved. Um the kind of benchmark that it has set has it ever made you feel a little vulnerable or a little nervous um because thinking about the kind of expectation that people have. No I have this habit of just letting go of the previous film.
[10:16]Of course the the memories stay with me. But rest everything I just let it go whatever experiences that I had whatever the lessons that I learned from the film their memories will be with me then I let go of the film and work on the new film so. This is like RRR is my first. Okay okay and the casting done in this film is just too cool there are people from various industries coming together and Alia and Ajay Devgan and was was all this a conscious effort or did it happen naturally like when you wrote about Sita you could see only Alia in that role or See how we went about it is like arts art and commercials commercial aspect of the film go hand in hand. Hand in hand. Uh we can't completely uh separate them. But the way we work is like we we make we make we put the art in the driver seat. Okay. And the commercial commercial aspects of it follow. So uh I needed a very soft yet strong uh girl in the heart for the she's like a diamond. Yeah she she looks fragile but she's like a diamond. She looks fragile but she's like a diamond.
[11:33]So that is my requirement. That I needed that girl kind of girl for the role of Sita. Then I look at the commercial aspects of it. No is there some heroine who is uh known face who people would like to watch who will fit into my role. Okay. So that's how I follow the lead. Okay did any any nudging happen in between did I miss something? No no absolutely. He just knows because I kept quiet because sir's talking. I really don't understand when I how is that I'm not getting caught.
[12:10]Did you have special people to deal with all this because I'm sure your brain would who can control them no one can control them. But I think that energy is beautiful because even I'm feeling very pumped up and motivated after seeing all of your energy because the whole nation or the whole world is actually waiting for RRR on March 25th and we can't think of anything else and we've been watching everything else on repeat and the trailer looks amazing. Um as a director okay I'm so sorry the most of my questions are directed Please please I'm happy. I'm happy actually we're actually happy when he's answering. But you can join whenever you feel like. As a director you create a visual treat for people right like I remember going for Baahubali so I had a shoot right so we went with a huge group. Priyaaj Priya Mani she was there with us and all of us were there together Master was there. So we all bought popcorns and by the end of the film the popcorn is still there. We forgot to eat it that's how engrossed you are and the next thing we were saying is we should watch this in another another language because I want to watch it again because every frame was so so beautiful I want to stop it see every detail and then forward you know that's why people are addicted to his films. I feel there's so much of detailing going in and it's just crazy how you do do it and you are an amazing storyteller so my question is where did you realize that you're gonna get into this industry and start entertaining millions of people did you know this would happen or did it just happen. No I I was a storyteller from right my right from my childhood. Since you were a boy. Yeah very very young in the second class or third class itself I used to tell stories and So when you used to bunk class did you ever tell a story to no to my classmates to my classmates. Uh then I never realized I'll become a director then because my family's into films. Naturally my my journey went towards films and one by one uh happened. He's very simple. He's very simple guy. What do you have to say about him as a director? As a director the first question we answered I think he's Is he always like this like this simple. He's very calm and Yeah I think he speaks less but he delivers more he'll makes us also deliver the same. The three of you are extremely popular like it's not easy for you to just step out and have pani puri or it's not easy to just step out and go watch a film like normal people. So what I'm gonna do is give you an imaginary uh opportunity to be invisible for a day. So what would you do what is the first thing you would do if you were invisible. Invisible invisible. I mean my answer would be completely different from them because because he He lives a very normal life he has no problems going into theaters eating pani puri on a bun he doesn't everything.
[15:18]So this question is irrelevant this completely so he's already invisible. It's a cultural activity for him. But the kind of people they are is very loud like the way you speak in I should be no I should be muted and invisible both.
[15:38]I'm invisible. I would like to do this to him.
[15:45]It's crazy you know like who's pinching me out of the blue no one will know. I should I think you should do that same thing to him back. I actually did it. You know I told you he just got this opportunity now. But yeah if I were invisible and muted I would really want to go visit my favorite restaurant. Sit. Eat. Just and not be judged. While eating.
[16:11]Yeah how who is eating how much so they just cut all these there full of food and someone just eating it like full on. So when you look at it it's just food going through something. So it's not invisible right. So um another thing I wanted to ask was there is has been a rumor going around saying there's a Hollywood actor whose presence is just suspense like it's a rumor I heard it. No no it's not a suspense or anything because it's set in the British era we need the fair skinned actors to be there. Uh so we brought in uh three four actors from abroad and couple of Anglo-Indian actors fair skinned actors who have been living in India and they're part of the film. Okay. Uh so there is no suspense about it there's no suspense about it. Some of the people in the trailer is there any other face that's what I heard. No uh no actually there is nothing there is nothing to hide in that. There's nothing to hide no suspense. Because you do have a suspense sequence in the second half which we are all waiting to see something that's gonna give us goosebumps like the action sequence. I don't know what it is just waiting. No. So we live in an era where movies are discussed and dissected and reviewed and criticized just hours after its release. I think during Baahubali's time it was not this much but there are people now making a living out of it. This is what they do as a job so every day it becomes so competitive that they have to talk about the film even the first half they discuss and then they go watch the second half because they want to be the first ones to post something about the film right. Does that ever ever bother you because you invest like years and years of hard work into it sweat and time and energy and money and thousands of people are involved in this film right. So people just talking about the film like good or bad does that bother you only thing that bothers me I'm not bothered about the reviews good or bad I'm not bothered about discussions in the forums good or bad. Nothing that that's that's the I should be more worried if no one is talking about the film. Okay the the only thing that bothers me is that you know the review as the film is going going some is live review.
[18:37]Yeah live update kind of thing that that's the only thing that bothers me if the guy wants to do it okay let him do it but boss he bought a ticket with money so enjoy my movie. Yeah in the film in the trailer we could see both of them riding one riding a horse. I want to know which one was faster which was more powerful horse power or horse. How did you match match with the speed of the horse. Technically I don't know who will win in the end of course initially the bike speed always goes faster. Are you saying the bike is faster than the horse. Technically the bike is actually faster than the horse. Technically Yeah because it's it's a machine versus a versus a live animal. But in the long run I don't know it can. But how we controlled is yeah because he's a great horse rider and I'm a I can ride my bikes. Yeah a lot of people associate him with bikes and a lot of people associate me I'm also a bike lover. I started riding bike when I was don't get onto his bike sir I don't have better don't sit behind. I don't have any more bikes I don't have any more bikes I don't have any more bikes I don't have any more bikes. So don't ride and don't sit behind him also you will never sit on a bike you will never sit on a bike again.
[19:55]I am a huge fan of Alia but like if you ask me who's my favorite actress I would say her name like ever since I watched Highway. I know she's a versatile actor and she's been she's been crazy with her acting skills. What did she bring to the table when she came to the sets of RRR. Uh exactly what she's supposed to do like we were discussing earlier she has to look fragile but she should have the inner strength to to be able to bring these two super powers of fire and water together and not let them destroy each other. That's what her role in the film is and that's what exactly she she did. Terrific performer I love her I love her from Raazi. On one to 10 how much would you give her as an actor. As an actor 9.5 9.8. Uh for Tarak. Tarak is 10. 10. For Ram. Same 10. Oh for So in your films I've seen that women are portrayed in a very strong way. Even in the trailer when the daughter is taken away the mother's scream. I don't know how many times I've seen it because I'm a mother I have a one-year-old daughter. So I understand the emotion of a mother when the daughter is taken away and the way she emoted. I don't know who she was but I saw her expression and it was so powerful and her scream there was tears in her eyes and and then I realized in all your films I can relate to the women in the in the characters. Whether it's Shivagami or Devasena or whoever it is they are such bold women even when they are in they're in chains or even when they are vulnerable they are still powerful. So how do you get inspired like where do you derive these kind of thoughts? No I I have no intentions of okay let's make an powerful woman character in the movie. I don't I don't think like that. It just happened. No no my my only thing is I should have a dramatic situation. If the dramatic situation needs a powerful woman I'll have a powerful woman if that situation needs a vulnerable woman I'll have a vulnerable. If that situation needs a weak woman I'll put a weak woman. So I I don't have any uh whatever you say I I don't intend to do that uh socially deliver a message or something. It's just creating the exact drama and I need to create a fantastic dramatic situation for the audience who are paying me money to do the job. Okay and your the women you created are all engraved in our hearts like It's if I may add to it fine his intent is not there in in the movie but Rajamouli is one strong man surrounded by strong women. Yes. In general. Amongst the Panja Pandavas one is your wife and that's a beautiful thing. And one is his Annie. Yes. Which uh I think is a beautiful thing that you give them such a huge project and the kind of responsibility they're able to handle it gives other women courage like other women who are looking up to them they know if she can do it I can do it that's how people.
[23:08]No again I have don't I have no intentions of bringing them forward and giving them a great life making a platform for them no I want to make my life easier. So I give them the job to make my life easier. That's a beautiful way to put it. Um so imagine like this is a very hypothetical question I know both of you are married but imagine now you both are single and you're meeting a girl for the first time who doesn't know who you are or what you've done. They're like a complete stranger to you and which film of yours would you ask them to watch to impress them. First of all there's no hypothesis I don't believe in hypothesis so I don't want to answer this question I can't. Why. Hypothetically also why. You know you're unhappy with your unmarried. If If you're still unmarried hypothetically you've come to Kerala you're unmarried and there's a beautiful girl called Pranti who you're who you're meeting for the first time.
[24:14]No beautiful girl called Pranti. No no beautiful girl called Pranti. You're meeting for the first time. Now you're meeting her now and he doesn't know you are on blah blah blah. Obviously you want to impress her like this is what I've done. I would I would really I would want her to watch others. I wanted to watch others because it's a laugh right. So that's the kind of impression you have on a fun person. That's that's what you want I really like when you know people are bursting into laughter. Around it's nice you know when people are laughing it's nice. Yeah it makes your life beautiful. Yeah longer. And what about you. Me it's a hypothetical but because hypothetical I'm going to say I'm going to have my imaginary movie which I created myself.
[25:05]Take the best clip and create a collage and show that so it'll be Magadheera for sure and Rangasthalam Dhruva and then when RRR released most of it second half will be RRR. You know you know you want to know about that page I should give a case against that page because they said 10 facts you didn't know about Tarak. So in one of main facts I didn't know but I knew because of that page is the sir is a good teacher is a good singer he'll teach you the step Naatu Naatu.
[25:39]No no. I'm not a great singer. And that Naatu Naatu step also he can only sing. I should give a case against that page because they said 10 facts you didn't know about Tarak. So in one of main facts I didn't know but I knew because of that page is that he is a great horse rider and a I can ride my bikes. You'll never sit on a bike. We're really waiting because even now the Baahubali fans are still there. I have a cousin sister who's watched her name is Shraddha she's watched Baahubali at least 100 times. At least like every time I walk into a room she's watching one or one scene or the other. I'm sure RRR is gonna be like that because it's the way he visualizes his characters and they just turn into demigods and they just turn into the ultimate version of a human form that's how they are personified in a film. And I want to ask you you visualize a lot before the film happens and during the film does your visualization end when the movie finishes or do you continue to visualize even after like do you visualize the success of the film like all three of you. Of course I'm not I will not be a human being if I don't dream about the success of the films but I I try to not not get into that space because I have so much of job on hand to to do.
[26:59]Surprisingly for me once I tell the scene very nicely I I I I'm a good orator when it comes to the storytelling but once it comes on to the screen once I capture capture it I lose it. I can't tell the scene again. Uh that's a surprising quality that that I have. Once it's captured on screen it goes out of it goes out of your mind. Does that happen to you once you're done the scene does it go out of your mind. No see uh what I have learned at least in my career is that see when I was young naive when I didn't know anything about it. There was a lot of expectations you know you want your movies to work you know and it would it would really really really it would it would influence me you know if my uh uh movie wouldn't work you know it really would. You know I would really go into this zone and and and I wouldn't come out of it and then again there was a you know you movies work and then again you're all in a gala mood and but somewhere I think over the years I the the moment I stopped I don't know how it happened. Uh well I think it's it's it's absolutely the only person I really in the industry I talk to about all these things is is only Jackanna so I think I don't know somewhere slowly and it's unknowingly I've I've a movie working or not working it's probably just stays for a day or not even more than an hour sometimes. What remains is the journey. The journey. How happy I am as an actor being a part of that film. It's the journey which is more important today fine RRR will be a blockbuster maybe it'll just stay in my head for a day but what I would love what will remain is the journey all of us made for this movie to release that will stay close to me. And and a few scenes would definitely stay close to me. I like yeah you know I love that scene I I I really think I really think my director was very happy with me in that so it's it's mostly the journey of the film than the end result of the. The journey of the film that really remains in our heart. I think all three of you are extremely lucky because we are such a huge industry. If anybody wants to be an engineer or a doctor they can learn just become but when it comes to an actor or a director it's not that easy. You have to really prove yourself to reach there. There are thousands and lakhs of people who want to be actors they literally live their whole life wanting to be sitting in there that seat is what their dream of. And and as a director like lot of people dream about being on that other side what do you have to tell those people. Don't stop dreaming. Don't stop dreaming. I I always keep dreaming keep working for it I always said in the past this is probably the only industry which is not corrupt. You can pay off somebody and get a medical seat. You can pay off somebody and get a job. You can pay off somebody and become a minister or an MLA but you cannot pay off somebody and become a great actor or a great director this is the only industry that based on talent and people are the judge. We are really fortunate and lucky to be quite successful or sustaining in this industry for a while. That's huge dream.
