SS Rajamouli explains why he decided to move away from religion

RRR filmmaker S.S Rajmouli has taken Indian cinema to the world. In a recent interview with The New Yorker, the director discussed religious fervour, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata's impact on his works. It is well known that The Baahubali director is an atheist but he is not always like that. There was a time he deeply believed in god and wore saffron clothes and also lived an ascetic life for a few years. He also shared that his family including his parents, aunts, uncles, and everyone are deeply religious.

RRR's director remarked, that he was sucked by the religious zeal of his family. He than began studying holy literature, making pilgrimages, donning saffron clothing, and leading an ascetic lifestyle for a while. Then, with the help of some friends, he discovered Christianity. And he would do all sorts of things, like study the Bible and attend church. All these things eventually gave him the impression that religion is ultimately a form of exploitation.

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For the unversed the RRR director is an atheist, he doesn't apply it in his films. The Hindu epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which SS Rajamouli acknowledged had a significant influence on all of his works, were a constant source of inspiration. He said he always loved epic tales like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Anything that he produce's has some degree of influence from these texts. Those texts are like oceans; he discovered something new every time he read them.

For his next, SS Rajamouli announced he will be teaming up with Mahesh Babu, tentatively called SSMB29. The director described the film to be a globe-trotting adventure, written by his father Vijayendra Prasad.