SS Rajamouli, who is basking in the attention that his magnum opus RRR is receiving after the song ‘Naatu Naatu’ won a Golden Globe, has set the record straight for American journalists. He has made it clear to them that RRR is “not a Bollywood movie,” but "a Telugu film that comes from the south of India". Rajamouli was speaking to a group of journalists prior to the screening of his film at the Directors Guild of America on January 7.
Noting that the audience members may have seen songs and fight sequences in Indian films they had viewed in the past, Rajamouli paused to clarify that "RRR is not a Bollywood film, it is a Telugu film from the south of India where I come from.” He went on to say that in RRR, he uses “the song to move the story forward rather than stopping the film and giving you a piece of music and dance. I use those elements to move the story forward." He said, "The film is three hours long… At the end of the film, if you say ‘I didn't feel it like three hours,’ then I know that I am a successful filmmaker," adding that he aimed to give audiences “maximalist entertainment.”
After becoming a huge success in India and other countries like Japan and the United States, RRR is all over the news once again as the song ‘Naatu Naatu’ won the Golden Globe in the Best Original Song category. The song defeated the likes of Rihanna's ‘Lift Me Up’ from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Taylor Swift's ‘Carolina’ from Where the Crawdads Sing.
Following the Golden Globe win, popular singer Adnan Sami raked up a controversy after accusing Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of having a ‘separatist attitude’ when he congratulated RRR’s team for the Golden Globe saying the ‘Telugu flag is flying high.’ Adnan Sami questioned what he meant by ‘Telugu flag’, and said that CM Jagan should have used the term ‘Indian flag’ instead.
The singer alleged that CM Jagan was trying to separate his state from the rest of India by using the phrase ‘Telugu flag’, and attributed it to a ‘separatist’ attitude. His remarks were slammed by a few Andhra Pradesh ministers and YSRCP leaders as well as many others on social media, who argued that taking pride in a regional or linguistic identity does not take away from their identity as an Indian.
Telugu flag? You mean INDIAN flag right? We are Indians first & so kindly stop separating yourself from the rest of the country…Especially internationally, we are one country!
— Adnan Sami (@AdnanSamiLive) January 11, 2023
This ‘separatist’ attitude is highly unhealthy as we saw in 1947!!!
Thank you…Jai HIND!https://t.co/rE7Ilmcdzb
Sharing the video where Rajamouli calls RRR a Telugu film, journalist Rajinikanth Vellalacheruvu responded to Adnan Sami saying, “This is pure Telugu cinema. Not a Bollywood film. #RRRMovie director #SSRajamouli himself stated during a press conference in the United States. Our Language is Our Pride!”
This is pure Telugu cinema. Not a Bollywood film.#RRRMovie director #SSRajamouli himself stated during a press conference in the United States.
— Rajinikanth Vellalacheruvu (@rajinikanthlive) January 12, 2023
Our Language is Our Pride! https://t.co/3e8TYiWgEr pic.twitter.com/MXQFbkDJma
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