Documentary on director SS Rajamouli
In a recent interview, Raghav Khanna, the director of a documentary on filmmaker SS Rajamouli titled Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli, spoke to us about directing the documentary and what attracts him to the process. Excerpts from the interview:
Talking about the major difference between shooting a documentary and a film, Raghav Khanna says, “With documentaries, the production schedule is rarely seamless.
Unlike feature films, where you have a well-defined schedule, in documentaries, we have to align our shoot dates with the availability of the subject and key events we need to capture. So, for this project, we filmed over a span of eight months, but not consecutively. It was a selected number of days spread out across that period.” He adds, “Filming documentaries comes with its own unique set of challenges. Unlike fiction or scripted content, where you can control the environment, documentaries often require you to work in real, uncontrollable settings. The challenge is to make something that is visually engaging and stays true to your vision, even when you can’t fully control the setting. It’s about capturing real life in a cinematic way.”
Raghav says that the idea to direct the documentary came from Film Companion, and they partnered with Applause Entertainment. He says, “At that time, I had just left a streaming platform where I was working as a studio executive, and they reached out to me to direct it. What drew me to this project was the incredible contribution and impact that S.S. Rajamouli has had on Indian cinema. The way Indian cinema from different regions has come together under one umbrella is something remarkable. If there is one moment that symbolises this integration, it would be Baahubali.”
How did he decide on the angle for the documentary? Whose inputs were taken in the process? Raghav says, “It was a deeply collaborative process.
Anupama Chopra
, myself, our co-director
Tanvi
, and the research team worked together to identify the focus. We didn’t want a generic biography; we wanted the documentary to have a distinct narrative focus and visual treatment. A lot of time was spent on research to develop the lookbook and tonality.”
Talking about filming in several locations, Raghav shares, “It coincided with the time
RRR
was gaining global recognition during its festival run. We started filming in Hyderabad and filmed there multiple times. We also went to Japan when RRR premiered there, and on a few occasions, we shot in Los Angeles. All these locations were carefully selected based on the events we wanted to cover for the documentary.”
Raghav Khanna at shoot
Despite his stature, he gave us the creative freedom we needed
With so many stakeholders involved, was it challenging to maintain control over the narrative? Raghav says, “It was truly a collaborative effort. What made this project special was the trust that Rajamouli sir placed in us. Despite his stature, he gave us the creative freedom we needed, which only increased our sense of responsibility. It was a highly collaborative process, but I never felt restricted creatively.”
Talking about his next project
Riverland India
, he says, “With Riverland India, our focus is to create unscripted documentary stories from India for the world. We aim to elevate documentary and non-fiction storytelling. For instance, we’ve announced a series with
Chef Asma Khan
, where we’ll explore the personal and emotional side of food. Food is more than just sustenance; it’s about memories, nostalgia, and forging bonds. We have a lineup of prolific individuals from India for this series, and we’ll share more details soon.”
‘I didn’t become a chef, but I’ve spent a lot of my career making content about food’
Why does food play a significant role in his work? Raghav chuckles, “Well, early on, I was actually torn between becoming a chef or a filmmaker. I didn’t become a chef, but I’ve spent a lot of my career making content about food. Filming food requires a certain eye and understanding. It’s something I’ve always been passionate about, and it remains a big part of my life.”
One project that’s close to his heart is
Raja Rasoi
, because the language and style he used in the narrative were inspired by the Hindustani language he grew up hearing in Old Delhi. Writing that was a way of paying homage to his upbringing. He says,”Many of the lines I wrote years ago found their way into this project, and that made it particularly special for me.”
