Director SS Rajamouli said he did turn to God even after he and his wife were involved in a horrific car accident. The filmmaker might have explored underlining themes of mythology in his films. But, in the new Netflix documentary titled ‘Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli’, he admits he is an atheist. His belief did not shake even when he and his wife, Rama Rajamouli met with an accident in the late 2000s which almost left her paralysed from the lower back.
The filmmaker revealed that he was shooting Ram Charan headlined Magadheera when the accident took place. “I was driving a car and we had a bad accident. We were in a very remote place. Rama was like not feeling anything in her lower back, almost like paralysed. The nearest hospital was 60 kilometers away. I was absolutely terrified,” Rajamouli revealed in the documentary.
“I was calling the doctors, all that stuff. Simultaneously, at the back of my mind, suddenly a thought erupted like, ‘Am I praying to God to help me?’ And I didn’t, I didn’t do that. I was literally, frantically crying and calling the doctors and doing the stuff that needs to be done. I think, at some point of time, I chose karma yoga as my way of life. My work is my God. My work is cinema”, Rajamouli added.
Although Rajamouli identifies as an atheist, he comes from a family that is heavily spiritually inclined. So, when his father, screenwriter and director Vijayendra Prasad was questioned about his son’s choice of belief, he shared that their difference in opinions does not cause fiction in the family.
“For a person to be a practicing atheist, there should be a high moral fiber in him. So, in a way, I have got highest respect for a person who practices atheism,” he said.
SS Rajamouli was already a renowned filmmaker in the Telugu film industry when he released Baahubali and became a national name. However, he gained international acclaim with his film RRR. Starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR, the film went on to win an Oscar last year.
Comments
0 comment