SS Rajamouli says Oscar win for Naatu Naatu will ‘accelerate’ RRR sequel script

After becoming an international hit with audiences, the Telugu film RRR finally took home the Oscar for Best Original Song on Monday. Naatu Naatu, composed by MM Keeravaani and written by Chandrabose, which had been the frontrunner during the awards season also took home the top prize. The RRR team celebrated the win in Los Angeles and director SS Rajamouli was asked about the sequel for the blockbuster film. Rajamouli admitted that the Oscar win will speed up work on the sequel which is being written by his father, screenwriter father Vijayendra Prasad.

The director attended the Vanity Fair Oscars after party with Keeravaani, who is also his cousin. He was asked by Hollywood trade magazine Variety if he would begin to work faster on the script now that RRR has won the Oscar. Rajamouli laughed and said, “Obviously, [Oscar win] is going to put some acceleration in the script. Definitely, yes, let’s see.” Meanwhile, Keeravaani, who was next to the director, had injected and shared that speaking about the progress of the sequel was a “tricky question”.

Last year, the director had revealed that he hadn’t planned to make a sequel for the historical drama. Moreover, he felt there hadn’t been any great ideas to pursue. However, after the film became a global hit, he began to reconsider.

Rajamouli had told Variety, “After the international success, when the topic came up again, my cousin [MM Keeravaani] — who is also a part of my core team — gave an idea which we felt like, ‘Oh my God, this is a great idea. This is the idea that is worth pursuing.’” He asked his father to begin work and expand the idea immediately.

He had added, “At present, he’s seriously working on the story; he’s getting it done. But once this script is done is when we really look into how to make it, when to make it, and how to bring it onto the screen.”

RRR’s stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR were also present at the Vanity Fair party. Ram attended the event with his wife Upasana Konidela, while Jr NTR walked the red carpet in his Gaurav Gupta outfit. The RRR team also had a private celebration at Rajamouli’s LA home afterwards.