S S Rajamouli.
Credit: Instagram/@ssrajamouli
Hyderabad: Filmmaker S S Rajamouli on Tuesday said he has been toying with the idea of making an animation film for some time now.
The director said he hopes to venture into 'newer' territories in his future projects, much like his latest animation series Baahubali: Crown of Blood, which is set in the universe of his popular Baahubali feature films.
Rajamouli, also known for action movies such as Eega, Magadheera and the much-celebrated RRR, serves as creator on the upcoming Disney+ Hotstar series along with Sharad Devarajan of The Legend of Hanuman fame.
"It's been on my mind," Rajamouli said, referring to directing an animated film.
"I like making films which will enable me to enter into newer areas in my forthcoming films. For a long time, I've had this thought of making an animation film. Whether it's Eega that I made or how I'm associated with Hotstar for this (series), all these things are for me to learn. It helps me to develop my skills,' he said at the press conference of Baahubali: Crown of Blood here."
The series serves as a prequel to Rajamouli's blockbuster Baahubali movies -- 2015's Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017).
A self-proclaimed fan of The Lion King and Aladdin, Rajamouli said there's an audience for animation films in India.
"Everyone was watching those films with a houseful of audiences cheering, clapping, laughing, and enjoying like any other film. So, the audience is there for animation films. It's just the belief of us as filmmakers to bring animation content and the ability to make the connection (is needed)" he added.
"If you've seen Magadheera, you see how the connection happens between (characters played by) Ram Charan and Kajal. So, that magical connection has to happen (between filmmakers and animation). The minute it happens, floodgates will open and tons of content will be created," he said.
According to Rajamouli, the animation content in India is restricted to children, unlike the US and Japanese anime films.
"It is surprising that the animation world in India doesn't go beyond children cartoons. We had the right kind of people and we felt like taking it forward. We had long story discussions with Sharad," he added.
The filmmaker started the franchise with 2015's 'Baahubali: The Beginning', which starred Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj and Tamannaah Bhatia.
The movie broke many records with its box office collection, emerging as the first South Indian film to gross over Rs 650 crore worldwide. It was followed by the second part, titled 'Baahubali: The Conclusion' and released in 2017.
Rajamouli said it was 'difficult' for him to let someone else take forward his widely successful film franchise through the animation series, but he is happy with the result.
"Initially, I thought I'll not let him (Devarajan) do anything without my consent, and gradually I realised I have to let go. Before letting it go, I took them to the process of how we made Baahubali. What are the characters and the conflicts?"
"There's a sur (note) of 'Baahubali' that resonated with audiences, I tried to explain to them (new makers) what the sur was, and he understood it. Later, he and his team came with the story, character arcs and that's how Baahubali: Crown of Blood happened. I'm happy with the way it turned out."
The director also revealed they spent 'zero budget' on the marketing of the first part of Baahubali.
"We didn't buy any spots, we didn't pay any newspapers or websites to put up the posters. But we did a lot of homework. We created many videos and digital posters internally. We released the character (posters), we released the making (behind-the-scenes) videos."
"A lot of publicity happened but the thing is that we didn't spend money on it. We just used our brains and time. Each film is different. You market it depending on product to product, but the base is that we constantly strive to bring in new audiences to get interested in the product," he added.
A Graphic India and Arka Mediaworks production, Baahubali: Crown of Blood is backed by Rajamouli, Devarajan and Baahubali films producer Shobu Yarlagadda. It is directed by Jeevan J Kang and Navin John. It will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on May 17.