Director With No Flops! SS Rajamouli Has Made 12 Hit Films In His Career

The man... the myth... the legend, turns 50 today!
In an illustrious career spanning more than two decades, SS Rajamouli has weaved magic at the box-office, consistently, with not a single flop.

He came, he saw, he conquered. That’s one way to sum up the career of Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli, director extraordinaire.

Known for lavish magnum opuses such as ‘RRR’, ‘Magadheera’ and the iconic ‘Baahubali’ franchise, Rajamouli has evolved into an institution, synonymous with grandiose, once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experiences.

Along with charting box-office glory, he has also put Tollywood (Telugu film industry), on the global map. His last film, the magnificent period drama ‘RRR’ became a bona-fide global blockbuster, crossing Rs 1200 crore at the box-office. It also became a cultural juggernaut. The chartbuster ‘Naatu Naatu’ went on to bag two prestigious awards - a Golden Globe and an Oscar.

Aside from Bollywood’s Frank Capra Rajkumar Hirani, Rajamouli is India’s only director with a Midas Touch. From the romantic coming-of-age drama ‘Student No. 1’ to the elegiac ‘RRR’, all of his 12 films have been blockbusters.

On his 50th birthday, here’s a look at some of his masterpieces.

In Rajamouli’s universe, anyone can be the hero, fighting off baddies with panache… even a fly! With ‘Eega’, Rajamouli overturned the conventional revenge sage on its head.


Starring Nani, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Kannada star Kichcha Sudeep, ‘Eega’ is nothing short of delightfully weird.


Although the concept of the main lead dying and being reincarnated as a fly who goes on to wreak havoc in the villain’s life can seem a bit too mystifying, the film does take you on a thrilling and oddly satisfying rollercoaster ride from the beginning to the end.

This fantasy action drama was sort of a template for the trademark Rajamouli movies we have come to love such as ‘RRR’ and ‘Baahubali’. It was also the movie that catapulted its lead star Ram Charan to superstardom.

Also starring Kajal Aggarwal, ‘Magadheera’ was a visual extravaganza, celebrating everything Indian audiences enjoy - opulent sets, reincarnation, high-octane action sequences, and oodles of romance!

This was the movie that gave Telugu films (and the South film industry as a whole) a new lease of life and created a new legion of fans for everything South… all across India.


Starring Telugu A-listers such as Prabhas, Tamannaah, Anushka Shetty, and Rana Daggubati, the movie revolves around the journey of Sivudu, a daredevil young man, whose fate gets entwined with the fallen royal family of Mahishmati.


‘Baahubali’ went on to be a bonafide cultural watershed, as well as commercial, clocking Rs 1,600 crore at the domestic market.

This was an extremely satisfying ending to the ‘Baahubali’ franchise. It was one of the most anticipated films of the year, as the prequel had ended with a massive cliffhanger.

Aside from regaling the audience with the answer to the burning question, “Kattappa, Baahubali ko kyu maara?” the movie went on to chart glory at the box-office, earning over Rs 1,800 crores.

High on emotions, drama, and action, replete with jaw-dropping sequences of the leads fighting with tigers, barehanded and chasing villains through rings of fire, ‘RRR’ does demand a fair amount of suspension of disbelief.

And although ostensibly it appears as a historical drama, revolving around the friendship between two real-life freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, it is also not that much stuck up on historical accuracy as the two revolutionaries were not contemporaries in real life.

But when you are having so much fun, who cares about dry historical facts? Starring Jr NTR, Ram Charan, and Alia Bhatt, ‘RRR’ became a global juggernaut. It also created history at the box-office, minting over Rs 12,00 crore.