SS Rajamouli's 'I Never Liked Lord Ram' Post Resurfaces After Varanasi Director Stirs Controversy With 'Atheist' Remark At GlobeTrotter Event

SS Rajamouli stirred a row at the GlobeTrotter event in Hyderabad, where he unveiled the title and first look of his movie Varanasi, featuring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The filmmaker incurred the wrath of a select section on social media when he got emotional and claimed that he does not believe in God. He further said that his father and wife are big devotees of Lord Hanuman and always say that his blessings are always with them. The director implied being upset with the Hindu God when the team faced several technical glitches while playing the teaser of Varanasi.

Netizens are now claiming that SS Rajamouli has often used elements inspired by Hindu epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana in his films RRR, Baahubali and now even Varanasi, despite being a non-believer himself. Some social media users also called the filmmaker a ‘hypocrite' for using the Hindu mythology in his films, but ‘insulting' the Gods otherwise. There has been a massive demand for the director to apologise for his comment. However, fans of the filmmaker have clarified that Rajamouli was talking about the blessing of Lord Hanuman, and his comments have been taken out of context. Amid this, an old post by the star director on Lord Ram has resurfaced online.

Also Read: Varanasi: Teaser Leaks And Technical Glitches Throw SS Rajamouli’s Global Trotter Event Into Chaos, Director Apologies

SS Rajamouli got ‘goosebumps’ seeing Mahesh Babu as Lord Rama, but the director admitted ‘not liking’ Lord Ram in an old post 

Just as SS Rajamouli's videos from the Varanasi event flooded social media, netizens also dug out an old post by the director on Lord Ram. In April 2011, an X (formerly Twitter) user wished the director ‘Sri Ram Navami’ during an ‘ask me’ session. Replying to him, Rajamouli wrote, “Tq. But I never liked lord ram. Lord Krishna is my favourite of all the avatars.” However, fans of the filmmaker have claimed that he later clarified his comment in an interview.

This revelation comes after the director confirmed that Mahesh Babu's character in Varanasi is based on Lord Ram. Speaking at the GlobeTrotter event, SS Rajamouli said, “Since my childhood, I’ve spoken many times about what the Ramayana and Mahabharata mean to me, and how making them is my dream project. I never imagined I would get to shoot an important episode from the Ramayana this early. While writing every scene and every dialogue, I felt like I was floating. On the first day, when Mahesh came in Lord Rama’s get-up for the photoshoot, I had goosebumps. I was torn. Mahesh has the charm of Krishna, but the calmness of Rama. Still, I was confident. I even set that photo as my wallpaper and then removed it so that no one would see it.”

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

He further shared that the sequence will be one of the most memorable parts of his and Mahesh Babu's filmography. A small part of the said sequence has been included in the Varanasi teaser as well. 

 Also Read: 'Atheist' Rajamouli Faces Flak For 'Insulting' Hanuman At Varanasi Event