Director, writer, actor and producer · Telugu cinema
S. S. Rajamouli
S. S. Rajamouli movies: 18 Telugu films on file (14 as director, 13 as writer, 6 as actor, 1 as producer), 2001–2027. Earliest on file: Student No.1 (2001). Latest release: Baahubali: The Epic (31 October 2025). Next: Varanasi (7 April 2027).
- Films on file
- 18 (14 as director, 13 as writer, 6 as actor, 1 as producer)
- Years on file
- 2001–2027
- Born
- 10 October 1973 · October birthdays (Wikidata)
- Selected films on file
- Baahubali: The Beginning, RRR, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
- Record
- Q3521531 on Wikidata
S. S. Rajamouli (Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for epic, action and fantasy films. Wikipedia reports that all twelve of his feature films have been box-office successes. His Baahubali films started what is now called the pan-Indian film movement, and RRR (2022) brought him international recognition. He received the Padma Shri in 2016.
He was born on 10 October 1973 to the screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad and Raja Nandini, according to Wikipedia and Wikidata. His parents were then living in Amareshwara Camp in Raichur district, now in Karnataka; Wikidata gives his birthplace as Manvi. He grew up in Kovvur and Eluru in Andhra Pradesh. His cousin, M. M. Keeravani, has composed the music for all his films; see Rajamouli and Keeravani’s films together.
Career
He trained under the editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao and directed commercials and the television serial Santhi Nivasam. K. Raghavendra Rao gave him his first feature, Student No: 1 (2001), with N. T. Rama Rao Jr. Simhadri (2003), his first film from a story by his father, was a major hit. Sye (2004), a rugby film, won four Nandi Awards. Chhatrapati (2005), with Prabhas, was his fourth hit in a row. Vikramarkudu (2006), with Ravi Teja, and the fantasy comedy Yamadonga (2007) followed.
Magadheera (2009), with Ram Charan, was the most expensive Telugu film of its time and the highest-grossing Telugu film on release. The comedy Maryada Ramanna (2010) was inspired by the 1923 silent comedy Our Hospitality. Eega (2012) won two National Film Awards and nine awards at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, including Most Original Film.
Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) became the first Telugu film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) became the first Indian film to gross over ₹10 billion, and won the Saturn Award for Best International Film. RRR, a fictional story about the revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, set a record for the highest opening day for an Indian film. Its song “Naatu Naatu” won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, the first song from an Indian film to win the Oscar. In 2023 Time named him one of the 100 most influential people (Time). The two Baahubali films were re-released as one feature, Baahubali: The Epic, in 2025.
Awards
- Padma Shri, 2016 (NDTV).
- Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu for Magadheera, Eega, Baahubali: The Beginning, Baahubali: The Conclusion and RRR (Wikipedia winners list).
- Nandi Award for Best Director for Magadheera, Eega and Baahubali: The Beginning (list), and Best Screenplay Writer for Eega (list).
- SIIMA Award for Best Director – Telugu for Baahubali: The Beginning, Baahubali 2 and RRR (list).
- Four National Film Awards for his films, a New York Film Critics Circle award, a Critics’ Choice Movie Award and two Saturn Awards, according to Wikipedia.
The full record is on Wikipedia’s awards page for S. S. Rajamouli.
Upcoming film
His next film, Varanasi, with Mahesh Babu, is recorded for 7 April 2027; Wikipedia says production began in January 2025. Dates move; S. S. Rajamouli upcoming movies is updated daily.
Where to watch his films
- RRR: ZEE5, from 20 May 2022, per Wikipedia (OTT details)
- Baahubali: The Epic: JioHotstar and Netflix, according to TMDB’s India watch-provider data (OTT details)
- Magadheera and Eega: Aha, from Aha’s listings (Magadheera, Eega)
No streaming record is on file for his other films; catalogues change, so check the platform first.
Personal life
He married Rama in 2001, according to Wikipedia; she has worked as costume designer on many of his films.
Sources: Wikipedia and the references it cites (linked above), Wikidata, and Tollywood Desk’s film, release and OTT records.
Career on file
S. S. Rajamouli has 18 Telugu films on file at Tollywood Desk, dated from 2001 to 2027: 14 films as director, 13 films as writer, six films as actor and one film as producer. The earliest of them is Student No.1 (2001), and the most recent release is Baahubali: The Epic (2025). One more film, Varanasi (2027), is dated for later. Measured by how many Wikipedia language editions cover them, the best-known titles here are Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), RRR (2022) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017). Other recent releases on file are Kalki 2898 AD (2024), Radhe Shyam (2022) and Majnu (2016).
Prabhas is the most frequent co-star, sharing three films with S. S. Rajamouli, followed by Nassar (2) and Sathyaraj (2). Music on 14 of them is by M. M. Keeravani. Arka Media Works produced four of them, more than any other banner on file. Across these films the credits on file name 4 different directors, 7 music directors and 72 other credited actors.
Runtime is on file for 16 of them; they average 163 minutes, and the longest is Baahubali: The Epic at 225 minutes. Seven of them have a streaming (OTT) release noted on the site. By decade the list splits into 2000s (7), 2010s (6) and 2020s (5).
Figures come from the films on file at Tollywood Desk and change as records are added.
Upcoming movies (1)
S. S. Rajamouli upcoming movies · All upcoming Telugu movies · Dates are those on record and can change.