The massive success of Baahubali has apparently made S.S. Rajamouli the most-sought-after director in India. He is being wooed, pampered, cajoled and coaxed by the biggest names in Bollywood — to direct a film.
Our khabrus report that Karan Johar — who distributed the dubbed Hindi version of Baahubali and has made a hefty profit off it — has now offered SSR close to Rs 20 crore to direct a Hindi film.
KJo isn’t the only one. Other producers queuing up for SSR-helmed projects include Sajid Nadiadwala, Madhu Mantena (who has the remake rights of Rajamouli’s Magadheera), UTV’s Siddharth Roy Kapur and Eros Entertainment’s Sunil Lulla.
A source close to SSR revealed: “Raja is being chased by every important producer in Bollywood, and is being offered staggering amounts as remuneration. But he has never been swayed by money. He was offered the chance to direct Rowdy Rathore by producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali four years ago. But Raja was committed to doing Baahubali with Prabhas. Now, he’s committed to making the sequel with the same actor, although Bollywood wants him to do the sequel with Hrithik Roshan or Akshay Kumar. But Raja isn’t tempted.”
As for the man of the moment, he is as rooted as always. Of Baahubali’s becoming the biggest blockbuster in the history of Indian cinema, Rajamouli said, “All of us aspire to be successful. Becoming the biggest success is incidental.”
