SS Rajamouli is one of the most acclaimed and celebrated filmmakers in India. As a visionary director, Rajamouli has created grand spectacles like Baahubali and RRR. Lately, his works have gained international recognition showcasing the global appeal of his storytelling and filmmaking prowess. But, did you know that the South Ace filmmaker once called Bollywood's superstar Hrithik Roshan a 'wasteful' actor and 'nothing' in front of Prabhas?
Undoubtedly, Prabhas is one of the most celebrated actors in Tollywood with a massive fanbase. His notable works include Chatrapathi, Bujjigadu, Billa (2009), Darling, Mr. Perfect, Mirchi, Baahubali series, and the recent Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire. Prabhas got his first blockbuster Chatrapathi and his biggest blockbuster to date Baahubali 2: The Conclusion with Rajamouli. Of course, the ace filmmaker and actor share a good bond.
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Recently, an old video of Rajamouli resurfaced on social media in which the filmmaker can be heard showering praises on Prabhas during the trailer launch event of Billa.
In the clip, Rajamouli says, "Meher Ramesh Garu showed me one song from Billa and he showed me Billa's poster designs. Now, watched the trailer. I have only one thing to say 'Why should we work with a wasteful actor like Hrithik Roshan."
As per earlier reports, Rajamouli also compared Prabhas and Hrithik. “I watched Dhoom 2 and felt sad why Bollywood is giving good quality, don’t they have actors like Hrithik Roshan? But now after watching the songs of Billa and now the trailer, I want to say that Hrithik Roshan is nothing in front of Prabhas and Telugu cinema is not on Bollywood’s level, it is on Hollywood’s level,” he said.
Well, the video is from the Billa’s audio launch event in 2009 where actors like Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Anushka Shetty, Rajamouli and several other prominent personalities were present.
Such a statement didn't go down well with Duggu's fans and it sparked outrage. Earlier, when the old video went viral, Rajamouli decided to speak up. He admitted that his choice of words at that time was wrong and that he had no intentions to 'degrade' Hrithik.
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When asked at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Rajamouli said, "It was long long back. I think some 15-16 years back. But yeah, my choice of words wasn't good. I must admit it. My intention was never to degrade him. I respect him a lot. It is long back.
Interestingly, Hrithik Roshan was the first choice for Baahubali and Dharma Productions was the distribution company for both instalments of Baahubali.