No one's ever approached me to make an agenda film, says S S Rajamouli
New Delhi, Feb 17: Filmmaker S S Rajamouli's "Baahubali" films and "RRR" have been blockbuster hits, but the director, who has often been accused of pandering to the majoritarian view, says he distances himself from "either Hindu or pseudo-liberal propaganda".
In an interview with the US publication The New Yorker, the filmmaker took on questions related to the politics of his film, which is nominated in the best song category at the Oscars 2023 for "Naatu Naatu".
He was asked whether there was any political pressure on him to tell certain kind of stories from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
"No, never directly, never. No one's ever approached me to make an agenda film, whatever the agenda is. Still, for a long time, less prominent people sometimes found objections to my films. Sometimes Muslims have had objections, sometimes Hindus, sometimes different castes," the director told the publication.
The Telugu filmmaker said his agenda is to provide "entertainment" to the audience coming to theatres, irrespective of what their ideology may be.
"I distance myself from either Hindu or pseudo-liberal propaganda. I know there are audience members from those extreme groups in my audience. I know that, but I'm not catering to them. I'm just catering to the emotional needs of the audience," Rajamouli said.
Released in March 2022, "RRR" is a pre-Independence fictional story focusing on two real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s -- Alluri Sitarama Raju (portrayed by Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (played by Jr NTR). It also featured Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn in pivotal roles.
Rajamouli also responded to the criticism that his films are nationalistic in nature and distort history.
"First of all, everyone knows the 'Baahubali' movies are fictional, so there is nothing for me to say about whether it is a distortion of history to portray historic characters to suit the present BJP's agenda. As for 'RRR', this is not a documentary. This is not a historical lesson.
"It's a fictional take on characters, which has been done many times in the past. We also just talked about (film) 'Mayabazar'. If 'RRR' is a distortion of history, 'Mayabazar' is a distortion of the historic epic," he added.
The director said those who have accused him of supporting BJP or the party's agenda in his cinema forget that a BJP leader had threatened him for showing Jr NTR's Bheem in a skullcap.
"So people can decide for themselves whether I'm a BJP person or not... I hate extremism, whether it is the BJP, Muslim League, or whatever. I hate extreme people in any section of society. That is the simplest explanation that I can give," he added.
On the allegations that he deliberately omitted Mahatma Gandhi's picture in "Etthara Jenda", the final song of the movie, Rajamouli said he was tired of answering that question.
"There are numerous freedom fighters who laid down their lives to attain liberty for our country. I have heard many stories about these freedom fighters from childhood onward. Whichever stories touched me, made me cry, or made my heart swell with pride, those are the historic figures that I chose for that scene," he said, adding that there was room for only eight photos in that song.
"Still, I respect all of the revolutionaries that I chose, and, if I didn't put Gandhiji's portrait there, it doesn't mean I disrespect him. I have huge respect for Gandhiji, no doubt about that," he said.
On a question about whether there was a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in India, the director said he does not think in those terms.
"I don't know. I don't think in those terms. I always feel like films reflect the society that created them, whatever that society's feelings are. Films reflect the pace of society because filmmakers have to cater to audiences. They'll see what audiences like, what their present mood is, and make films for that.
"If there is a rise in that kind of sentiment in society, those kinds of films will come out. But I always stay away from that. I go a completely different route," he added.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
