S. S. Rajamouli

Then, Prasad and his family moved to Karnataka from Kovvur in 1968.

Prasad, along with his elder brother K. V. Sivashankar, bought seven acres of paddy fields in Hirekotikal village near Manvi in Raichur district.

Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli (born 10 October 1973) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in Telugu cinema.

He is known for his action, fantasy, and epic genre films.

He is the highest grossing Indian director of all time, as well as the highest-paid director in India.

He is a recipient of various national and international honours including a New York Film Critics Circle award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Saturn Awards, and four National Film Awards.

Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli was born on 10 October 1973 in a Telugu family to V. Vijayendra Prasad and Raja Nandini.

His parents were staying in Hire Kotnekal in Raichur district of Mysore state (present-day Karnataka) at the time of his birth.

Both his parents hail from Andhra Pradesh — his father from Kovvur near Rajahmundry and his mother from Visakhapatnam.

Rajamouli's parents are ardent devotees of Lord Shiva.

He was born after his mother had a dream when she visited the pilgrimage site of Srisailam.

Hence, he was named Srisaila Sri Rajamouli.

He has one elder sister who now lives in Australia.

Rajamouli grew up in a joint family — his father and his five brothers lived in the same house with their families.

Prasad's family had lands in Kovvur, which were lost when the railways lines were laid through them.

Baahubali 2 is currently the highest grossing film in India, and sold over 100million tickets during its box office run; the highest estimated admissions for any film in India since Sholay (1975).

Their family moved back to Kovvur in 1977.

Rajamouli was educated in Kovvur till fourth standard and then shifted to Eluru where he studied till Intermediate first year.

He then took a break of two years and finished his Intermediate second year in Kovvur.

After that, he did not pursue any further formal education.

Rajamouli was passionate about storytelling right from his second standard.

When he was seven years old, his grandmother introduced him to the epics Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavata.

At the same age, his father introduced him to Amar Chitra Katha comics that featured stories on Indian historical figures, religious legends and folktales.

It had a huge impact on him and developed his penchant for larger-than-life characters.

He would remember those stories and the films he watched and then re-tell them to his friends in his own way.

The 2009 fantasy action film, Magadheera was the highest-grossing Telugu film ever at the time of its release.

Eega (2012) won nine awards at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, including the Most Original Film.

Baahubali films have received six Saturn Award nominations with Baahubali 2 winning the Best International Film.

RRR received various international accolades including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the song "Naatu Naatu", and a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Rajamouli's films are typically characterized by their epic grandeur, stylized action sequences, unbridled heroism and larger-than-life characters with historical and mythological references.

His films have been noted for their integration of CGI with practical effects.

With his Baahubali films, he has pioneered the pan-Indian film movement.

He is also credited for expanding the market of Telugu cinema and South Indian cinema into North India and international markets.

Three of his films—Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), and RRR (2022)—are among the top six highest grossing-films in India to date.

All three films were also the most expensive Indian films ever made at the time of their release.

In 2016, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, for his contributions in the field of art.

In 2023, he was included on the Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Rajamouli has been described by film trade analyst Komal Nahta as "the biggest Indian film director ever".

Rachel Dwyer, professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, called him "India's most significant director today".

He has directed twelve feature films so far, and all of them have been successful at the box office.