Rajamouli not sure if he would helm film on RSS scripted by his dad

Well-known filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli has said that he is not sure if he would direct a film on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the script of which has been penned by his father and Rajya Sabha MP, Vijayendra Prasad.

In an interview to an international publication, the ‘RRR’ and ‘Baahubali’ director said while he would be honoured to direct the story, he is not sure if his father had written this script for some other organisation or producer.

Terming the story as a beautiful, human and emotional drama, Rajamouli also revealed that he cried many times while reading it.

Vijayendra Prasad, who had written the stories for the blockbusters ‘RRR’ and ‘Baahubali’, is currently working on a film about the RSS.

Prasad, who is a member of Rajya Sabha, had said in August last year that that he was going to helm both a film and a web series glorifying the RSS.

The screenwriter heaped praise on the RSS, and said that his formerly negative opinion about the organisation had changed since he was roped in to write a film on it.

Rajamouli, however, said in the interview that he is not too aware of the RSS.

“I have obviously heard of the organisation, but I don’t know how it was formed, what its exact beliefs are, how it has developed and all that,” he said.

The filmmaker, however, said that he read his father’s script.

“It is extremely emotional. I cried many times while reading that script. The script’s drama made me cry, but that reaction has got nothing to do with the history part of the story,” he said.

When asked if he would direct the movie, he said he is not sure.

Rajamouli said: “First of all, I don’t know whether that would be possible, because I don’t know if my father has written this script for some other organisation, people, or producer.

“Still, as for the question, I don’t have a definite answer. I would be honoured to direct the story, because it’s such a beautiful, human, and emotional drama. But I’m not sure about the script’s implications. I’m not saying that it would cause either a negative or a positive impact. For the first time, I’m not sure.”

It was in 2018 that there were reports about Vijayendra Prasad writing a film on RSS. It was reported that the film will highlight the contributions made by K.B. Hedgewar, M.S. Golwalkar, Veer Savarkar, K.S. Sudarshan and Mohan Bhagwat to the organisation.

At a book launch event of RSS leader Ram Madhav in Vijayawada on August 16, 2022, Prasad had confessed that until three or four years ago, he did not know much about the RSS and that like many others, he believed that they killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Prasad had said: “But four years ago, they asked me to write a film on RSS. As I was being paid for it, I went to Nagpur and met Mohan Bhagwat. I stayed there for a day and understood for the first time what RSS is. I felt a lot of remorse that I wasn’t aware of such a great organisation for so long.”

In July last year, Prasad was nominated to Rajya Sabha. The BJP-led government said that he has been instrumental in instilling cultural pride and nationalistic spirit through cinema.

Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Prasad has written stories for many Telugu and Hindi movies.

His notable works include some of the highest-grossing Indian movies such as ‘Baahubali’ series, ‘RRR’ and ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’.