‘Want fanbase like K-pop and anime for Indian cinema’: SS Rajamouli
The 52-year-old filmmaker has the film ‘Varanasi’ starring Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Priyanka Chopra in the pipeline
Kolkata, February 19, 2026, dmanewsdesk: Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli wants to build a global fan base for Indian cinema similar to K-pop and anime, he said during a recent interview.
Speaking to Fandango, the 52-year-old filmmaker got candid about his plans for a more dedicated fan base for Indian films. “I want to have a good amount of fanbase for Indian cinema, like how you have for K-pop or how you have for Japanese anime, that has a strong fan base across the world, not (just) in Korea and Japan, but across the world,” he said.
Rajamouli highlighted the success of the first part of Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle arc movie trilogy in Indian theatres. “I was so thrilled when the ‘Demon Slayer’ film released here in India. The film opened to housefulls. We don’t have successful animation films here in India, so that’s how the world is opening up, that’s how I want the world to open up for Indian cinema as well,” the director said.
The anime film, which amassed over Rs 66 crore at the domestic box office, emerged as the fifth highest-grossing foreign film of 2025 in India.
Taking a look back at his 2022 film RRR, which won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2023, Rajamouli said, “To make a story universal and base it on very sincere emotions, it will just appeal to everyone. That is my belief. But having a belief is one thing; to see it happen is another.”
Rajamouli became a fan of anime after watching a few popular franchises like Demon Slayer and Attack on Titan. He is also a fan of the Netflix animated series Arcane.
An anime adaptation of RRR is also on the cards. During a recent interview with gaming and entertainment news portal Polygon, the 52-year-old filmmaker said, “We have been in talks with a few studios in Japan to make RRR in anime.”
“So I’m waiting for things to get through. Hopefully it happens, and hopefully we can announce a cool continuation of RRR anime,” he added.
In 2024, Rajamouli met with anime director Kazuto Nakazawa and visual effects specialist Rui Kuroki for a discussion on the creative processes behind the making of Japanese animation during his stay in Japan for a special screening of RRR.
Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi stars Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles. It is set to release in theatres on April 7, 2027.
Source: The Telegraph online
