Director SS Rajamouli might have gained fame nationwide for pioneering the ‘pan-India phenomenon’ with his magnum opus Baahubali, but he credits actor Suriya for it. At the pre-release event for Siva’s Kanguva held in Hyderabad on Thursday evening, the filmmaker revealed how the actor inspired him.

‘Suriya, you are my inspiration’

Before Rajamouli took the stage, the event organisers played a video on how the director led the pan-India trend. But he said, “They just played an AV that I began the pan-India trend and all. But let me tell you frankly. The main inspiration for me wanting to take Telugu cinema beyond AP and Telangana is Suriya.”

He further explained that the way Suriya promoted his films through the years inspired him to do this, stating, “During Ghajini, Suriya would come here and promote his films. I would tell producers and actors that the way he grew close to the Telugu audience was a case study. That we must push films in other regions too, gain the love of the Tamil audience. Suriya, you are my inspiration for the pan-India film market.”

Rajamouli also confirmed that while Suriya and he were supposed to work on a film, it didn’t pan out. “We were once supposed to work on a film together, but it didn’t work out. Suriya mentioned somewhere that it was a missed opportunity for him. But it’s me who missed the opportunity to work with him; I regret it. I love him, his on-screen presence and his acting so much. I respect that he chose to go after a story rather than a filmmaker though,” he said.

But Suriya said, “In a family if an elder sibling does well, the rest of the family flourishes because you show the way. This journey started long back, sir. I am shamelessly saying I missed the train. I'm still standing at the railway station, and I hope I get it sometime.”

Upcoming work

Rajamouli will soon direct Mahesh Babu in an action-adventure film that has yet to go on floors. The film’s cast and crew have also yet to be announced. Suriya’s Kanguva will be released on November 14 in theatres. He will also shot for a yet-to-be-titled film with director Karthik Subbaraj.

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