17 December,2025 06:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
SS Rajamouli and James Cameron
Filmmaker SS Rajamouli was recently joined by Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron in a virtual conversation wherein they discussed the world's biggest franchise, Avatar and its upcoming instalment, Avatar: Fire and Ash. The two legendandr filmmaker spoke about the intricacies of storytelling, their unique creative processes, as well as their shared anxiety that comes with releasing films on such a magnitude.
During the conversation, Rajamouli reflected on his viewing experience of Avatar: Fire and Ash, saying he felt "like a child in the theatre," praising Cameron for his film. The RRR director, "I would like to thank you because you made me the first person, or probably the only person, amongst 1.45 billion Indians to watch Avatar: Fire and Ash. That feels very special."
SS Rajamouli shared that the first film, Avatar, ran for a year in IMAX in Hyderabad, highlighting how the franchise remains a benchmark for immersive, big-screen experiences. He then praised the film, saying, "Watching Fire and Ash was an absolute pleasure. Hats off to you for creating those complex sequences, visuals and characters. I can go on and on. I was like a child in the theatre watching the Wind Traders, the Ash People, the new characters."
Similarly, James Cameron also expressed his admiration for SS Rajamouli's cinematic vision, while expressing his desire to visit his film set. James said, "It's our pleasure and thank you, once again, thank you so much for doing this. I think it's important for filmmakers to talk and compare similarities in their mental creative process and in their technique and so on. I'd love to come to your set. May I come to your set sometime and watch you create your magic?"
To this, SS Rajamouli, answered, "Oh, that would be an absolute pleasure, sir. You are most welcome. I mean, not just me, not just my unit, my entire film industry will be thrilled."
James further added, "I can't think of anything I'd rather do. I think you're shooting for a while, right, on the new film on Varanasi?" SS Rajamouli informed him, "Yes, sir. It's almost a year now and another seven, eight months to go. Yes, we are in the middle of the shoot," to which James mentioned, "Okay, plenty of time. Well, tell me when you're doing something fun. I don't know, something with tigers."
