Filmmaker SS Rajamouli is known for his art of story-telling in the movie industry. Ever since the beginning of his directorial journey, Rajamouli has been in the constant quest to present new stories and transcend the cinematic boundaries. Under the tutelage of K. Raghavendra Rao, Rajamouli began his career directing Telugu soap operas on ETV. Later, he directed the K. Raghavendra Rao-produced TV series Santhi Nivasam. In 2001, he made his Telugu film debut with Student No. 1, starring Jr. NTR. He reached his career peak with the 'Baahubali' series.
While Rajamouli was already an established name in Telugu movies before the release of his blockbuster franchise 'Baahubali', his upcoming project 'RRR' continues to create an equal amount of buzz and creativity in the minds of the audiences. . While 'RRR', which was meant to release on January has been postponed, here are five top-rated movies of the director that have received much acclamation.
Baahubali Series
The 'Baahubali' series is an Indian epic historical starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamanna, and Anushka Shetty in the lead roles. The cast of the movie also included Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar, Adivi Sesh, Tanikella Bharani, and Sudeep. The movie was divided into two parts: 'Baahubali:The Beginning' which released in 2015 and 'Baahubali 2:The Conclusion' which released in 2017. The two-part 'Baahubali' film grossed over Rs 1800 crore worldwide despite being produced on a shoestring budget of close to Rs 400 crore. The movie is known for its action sequences and has also been compared to the Hollywood ‘s 'Lord of Rings'. The movie was very well received with the audiences.
Vikramarkurdu (2006)
'Vikramarkudu' is a 2006 Telugu-language action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who also co-wrote the screenplay with K. V. Vijayendra Prasad. Ravi Teja and Anushka Shetty star in the film. For the first time in his career, Ravi Teja played a dual role in this film. He played Athili and Vikram Rathod in this film. Anushka Shetty's first collaboration with SS Rajamouli was this film. After that, they collaborated on the 'Bahubali' series. The film was the third highest grossing Telugu film in 2006, with a run of 100 days in theatres. This movie has been remade in Hindi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Tamil, and Kannada. The Hindi remake of this film was titled 'Rowdy Rathore', and it starred Akshay Kumar.
Yamadonga (2007)
'Yamadonga' is a Telugu-language fantasy action-comedy film directed by S.S. Rajamouli and produced by Urmila Gangaraju and Cherry. It was released in India in 2007. Jr. NTR, Mohan Babu, Priyamani, and Mamta Mohandas star in the film, which also features Ali and Brahmanandam in supporting roles. On August 15, 2007, the film was released worldwide. It received positive reviews from critics and audiences upon its initial release, and it was a box office success.
Magadheera (2009)
S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the film with K. V. Vijayendra Prasad, directed 'Magadheera', a 2009 Telugu-language fantasy action film. Geetha Arts' Allu Aravind produced the film. Ram Charan, Srihari, Kajal Aggarwal, and Dev Gill star in the film. 'Magadheera' was released to critical acclaim on July 31, 2009, and grossed a distributor's share of 73.6 crore. It surpassed Chandramukhi (2005) as the longest-running South Indian film with a 1000-day theatrical run. At the 57th National Film Awards, the film won the National Award for Best Choreography and Best Special Effects, as well as six Filmfare Awards, nine Nandi Awards, and ten CineMAA Awards. The success of the film propelled the lead actors to stardom. 'Yoddha: The Warrior', a Bengali remake, was released in 2014.
Eaga (2012)
S. S. Rajamouli wrote and directed 'Eega', a 2012 Indian fantasy action film. It was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, with the latter being titled 'Naan Ee', and was produced by Sai Korrapati's Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram with an estimated budget of 260 to 400 million. Sudeep, Nani, and Samantha star in the film. 'Eega' was one of the year's highest-grossing Telugu films, grossing more than 1.2 billion rupees. 'Eega' was nominated for two National Film Awards, five South Filmfare Awards, and three South Indian International Movie Awards. At the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, the Shanghai International Film Festival, and the Madrid International Film Festival, it was screened.
