Remember SS Rajamouli? The filmmaker whose “RRR” was heralded by critics, audiences and even had A-list directors, like Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, James Gunn, and JJ Abrams, praising it to the high heavens. He lived the Hollywood dream in 2022 and 2023.
Well, Rajamouli is filming his “RRR” follow-up. It’s being described as a dream project that will be the biggest and costliest Indian film ever made; A “globe-trotting adventure” that will see production travel through the forests of Kenya, among other exotic locations.
Earlier today, Rajamouli took to social media to say that the scale and scope of his upcoming magnum opus are far too vast for photos or press events to capture. Instead, he revealed that the team is preparing something special to convey the project’s essence, depth, and immersive world — with the reveal set for November. For now, he’s unveiled the first poster, which can be seen below this writeup.
Priyanka Chopra stars in the film, and apparently she’s been shooting for well over six months now. The rest of the cast includes Chatrapathi Sekhar, and Mahesh Babu. Reports suggest that Rajamouli has made his cast and crew sign an NDA, adhering to complete confidentiality while the film is being shot.
Rajamouli has shortlisted two possible titles for the film, which is currently shooting under “SSMB29”: it’s either going to be called “Garuda” or “Maharaj,” with the filmmaker leaning towards the latter. Production is set to continue until 2026 with plans to release it, as two 3-hour movies, starting in 2027.
To say that Rajamouli’s “RRR” came out of nowhere would be an understatement. It came close to cultural phenomenon status, starting out slow in the spring of 2022, but topping the Netflix charts, and amassing enough fans by the end of the year that it turned into an Oscar contender.
On Critics Top 10, which compiles all of the year’s ten best lists, “RRR” was the ninth most listed film of 2022, appearing on 269 critics lists. It went as far as the New York Film Critics Circle giving Rajamouli their Best Director award that year.
Kushner has been Spielberg's go-to screenwriter for two decades now: "Munich," "Lincoln," "West Side Story" and "The Fabelmans." All four were Best Picture nominees.