Screenplay may have a particular, defined meaning, but as far as SS Rajamouli is concerned, it is all about giving the audience a series of highs. It's about keeping the theatrical audience from walking out of the hall for a smoke (like in the 1990s) or from looking at their smartphones (as in the present day).
In a chit-chat with director Krish Jagarlamudi once, the Baahubali director said that story and screenplay are different ball games. "Story is what you have in mind. Screenplay is what the distributors say will sustain the interest of the audience. These distributors, having watched numerous movies in theaters with the audience, know what kind of highs and moments are required to keep the momentum going. If there are no highs periodically, the graph of the film drops," the RRR maker said.
Rajamouli and his father, Vijayendra Prasad, must have had detailed and recurring interactions with stakeholders such as distributors for him to arrive at this conclusion.
Rajamouli recently filmed Mahesh Babu's film's Odisha schedule in Koraput. Details of the next schedule are awaited. The untitled film also features Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
