Happy 52nd, S. S. Rajamouli — celebrating the career-defining triumphs of India’s visionary filmmaker

Cinema has dreamers, and then it has sculptors — artists who carve entire worlds out of sheer imagination and determination. On 10th October, S. S. Rajamouli turns 52, and there is no better occasion to celebrate the luminous career-best moments that have reshaped Indian cinema.

(Credit: TOI)

Magadheera: The leap into legend

In 2009, when Magadheera hit cinemas, Telugu cinema had never experienced such grandeur. With its reincarnation theme, vast battle scenes, and stunning choreography, the film marked Rajamouli’s arrival as a filmmaker who thought well beyond traditional bounds. It was not merely a hit; it became a cultural milestone that elevated Ram Charan to stardom and established Rajamouli’s reputation as the master of epic visual storytelling.

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Eega: The audacity of a housefly

If Magadheera was his crowning achievement, Eega (2012) was his bold declaration. Who else could have transformed a housefly into a vengeful hero and made audiences worldwide cheer? With its inventive storytelling and daring execution, the film swept international festivals, reaffirming Rajamouli’s mantra: scale is not always about size — it can also be about imagination. Eega remains one of his most original and daring career highlights.

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Baahubali: The revolution of scale

The Baahubali saga (Beginning in 2015 and concluding in 2017) was no longer just cinema; it was an event. From the iconic “Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?” cliffhanger to the astonishing box office results, Rajamouli showed that Indian films could rival Hollywood in ambition and execution. Baahubali 2 became the first Indian film to cross ₹1,000 crore globally, selling over 100 million tickets. For audiences, it was myth and cinema fused — for Rajamouli, it was vindication that his uncompromising vision could inspire entire nations.

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RRR: India dancing on the world stage

If Baahubali built him an empire, RRR (2022) offered him the world. Rooted in the imagined friendship of revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, the film was adrenaline wrapped in emotion. The action sequences — from the tiger fight to the bridge rescue — left global critics in awe. And then came Naatu Naatu, the song that leapt from Indian cinemas to the Oscars, winning Best Original Song and making Rajamouli a household name far beyond India. With RRR, Rajamouli didn’t just break records; he dismantled borders.

His true legacy: Emotion at the core

What unites these peaks is not only spectacle but sentiment. Rajamouli insists that action must come from emotion — a lover’s rage, a son’s loyalty, a patriot’s duty. That philosophy gives his cinema its heartbeat. We may marvel at the CGI, but we return for the tears, the triumphs, and the thunder in his characters’ hearts.

(Credit: Britanica)

What lies ahead

Now, as he begins a globe-trotting journey with Mahesh Babu and continues to dream of a cinematic Mahabharata, Rajamouli’s best may still be ahead. He is, after all, a filmmaker who treats every film as sculpture — chiselling until it shines with both craft and emotion.

On his 52nd birthday, we celebrate not just the director who gave us Magadheera, Eega, Baahubali, and RRR, but the visionary who taught Indian cinema to dream without limits. In the annals of film history, his career highlights already read like folklore — and the next chapter may well surpass them all.