'Atheist' SS Rajamouli Faces Backlash For Allegedly 'Insulting' Lord Hanuman At Varanasi Event, Here's What Happened

SS Rajamouli, who has a reputation for remaining calm and composed under pressure, reportedly lost his cool at the GlobeTrotter event at the Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, on November 15. The filmmaker got visibly upset when several technical glitches dampened the event that saw over 50,000 attendees. In an angry rant, the filmmaker first fired at people trying to leak the first glimpse of the film Varanasi, which is why they could not test the video playback on the big screen beforehand. He later went on to ‘insult’ divine deities, as alleged by a few social media users.

What did SS Rajamouli say about Lord Hanuman at the GlobeTrotter event?

Several videos of SS Rajamouli addressing the audience in Telugu at the Varanasi title and teaser reveal event went viral on social media. In one of the videos, it is being alleged that the filmmaker said, “I am not a big believer in god. A while ago, my father came upto me and said, ‘Hanuman will stand by us, and protect us through all troubles.’ I felt angry upon hearing it, thinking, ‘Is this how he protects us?’" As per social media users, the director also added that his wife is a big devotee of Lord Hanuman and thinks of him as her friend and said, “I felt angry upon her too." However, these claims could not be independently verified.

Also Read: Technical Glitches Throw SS Rajamouli’s Global Event Into Chaos 

Social media users react to SS Rajamouli's ‘atheist’ comment 

Following SS Rajamouli's speech, social media users severely criticised him, with some even calling him ‘hypocrite’. His comments drew particular ire as they came at the launch of the film Varanasi, which is heavily based on Hindu mythology. Moreover, his earlier directorial Baahubali and RRR, too, drew heavily from Hindu epics.

Also Read: Mahesh Babu Superfan Travels 6,817 Km To Attend GlobeTrotter Event 

Social media users commented that the director is ‘milking Hindu ideologies’ for his stories despite being a non-believer. Some were even left fuming and claimed that Rajamouli is ‘using Hindu beliefs to sell his films'. Fans of the director have also condemned his remark and demanded an apology from him immediately. SS Rajamouli or any other member from the Varanasi team has yet to react to the matter.

Also Read: Title, Teaser Reveal To Priyanka's Telugu: GlobeTrotter Event Highlights