‘I steal stories from everywhere.’ KV Vijayendra Prasad, who wrote ‘RRR’ & ‘Baahubali’, shares the secret behind his ingenious plots

Veteran screenplay writer KV Vijayendra Prasad who is the mastermind behind many blockbusters such as the ‘Baahubali’ series and ‘RRR’ recently gave the audience a sneak-peak into his storytelling process. The director-writer held a masterclass at the ongoing 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on Monday. He explained how he came up with intricate yet engaging storylines. Using his signature wry humour, Prasad said he didn’t write stories but he ‘’steals them’’. He went on to add, that inspiration can strike from anywhere. There is no rhyme nor rhythm to it. Inspiration can come from our daily surroundings, from mythologies and epics. “Stories are there around you, be it epics like Mahabharat, Ramayan or real life incidences, there are stories everywhere,” the master screenplay-writer was quoted as saying.

The writer-director also shared his ‘recipe’ for coming up with entertaining and highly relatable stories. He said that as a writer his main objective is to make the audience ‘’hungry’’ for his stories - i.e emotionally invested in the plotline and root for the characters. “The pursuit to create hunger among the audience for your story kicks off creativity within you. I always try to create a hunger within the audience for my story and characters and that drives me to create something unique and appealing,” explained Prasad.

He also claimed that storytelling is a lot like lying and that storytellers ‘’have to present a lie which looks like the truth.” He also advised budding storytellers never to rest on their laurels but by their own ‘’harshest critic’’ when coming up with plots and characters.


‘RRR’ and ‘Baahubali’ have been two of the highest-grosser in Indian film history. The epic historical drama grossed Rs 1200 crore worldwide approximately. ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ minted Rs 600-650 crore and its sequel ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ amassed Rs 1810 crore globally.