Karan Johar, known for his sharp cinematic vision and flair for storytelling, recently opened up about his admiration for celebrated filmmaker SS Rajamouli. Recently, Karan spoke about how long he has been fascinated by Rajamouli’s craft and how their collaboration for ‘Baahubali’ came to be. The filmmaker revealed that his connection with Rajamouli started much before their professional partnership, describing his admiration as an “obsession.”
Karan Johar’s early admiration for SS Rajamouli
Karan Johar didn’t mince words when expressing his respect for Rajamouli. He admitted that it wasn’t Rajamouli who reached out to him for Baahubali, but the other way around. “I approached him. I was obsessed with Rajamouli from even before,” he shared.His admiration dates back to Rajamouli’s debut film, when Karan named his movie ‘Student of the Year’, starring Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, and Sidharth Malhotra, taking inspiration from him. “Rajamouli’s first ever film is called ‘Student No. 1,’ and I got the idea for my film’s title, ‘Student of the Year,’ from the movie. I love that title. I am that obsessed with Rajamouli sir. I have watched all his films,” he added. Long before the filmmaker became a household name worldwide, Karan had recognized his brilliance and vision.
How Rana Daggubati helped connect the two filmmakers
Karan went on to reveal that it was actor Rana Daggubati who played a key role in introducing him to SS Rajamouli. “Until that time, people from our cinema weren’t even aware of the genius of Rajamouli, I knew. I kept asking Rana about Baahubali. Then, he arranged a meeting with Rajamouli sir,” Karan recalled. The meeting eventually led to one of Indian cinema’s most iconic collaborations.
Karan Johar on the movie ‘Makkhi ’
During the talk, Karan also expressed disappointment that Rajamouli’s ‘Makkhi’ didn’t perform well with Hindi-speaking audiences. “A film that didn’t work for Rajamouli sir in Hindi was Makkhi. According to me, it is one of the best films ever made. Makkhi wasn’t marketed properly,” he said.He continued, “That’s why I told him that I think what you’ve made is spectacular, it’s the biggest motion picture of India, and I would love to position it. I was always a big fan and I was very excited about presenting Baahubali. That was in many ways a game changer.”Karan ultimately presented the Hindi versions of both ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ and its sequel, ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’. The partnership proved to be a massive success, with both films achieving historic results at the box office and helping them reach massive audiences across India and beyond.
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