SSR in Conversation with Penn State Filmmaking Students , A student asks him about Mahesh Babu and his upcoming film #Varanasi.
Q: You’ve worked with actors like Prabhas, Jr. NTR and Ram Charan, and after working with you, they went on to become huge stars. But this time, you’re working with Mahesh Babu, who is already a massive superstar. From a filmmaking perspective, does directing an already established star change your approach or make the process different for you?
Rajamouli: I never choose an actor just because he is a superstar. I choose someone who truly fits the character. Once I choose them, I expect them to trust me,
and I’ll guide them to give the performance the character needs.
Yes, Mahesh Babu is a huge superstar. But with Mahesh Babu in Varanasi, I expected him to give 100%, because that’s what I know he is capable of. But once I started working with him, he completely exceeded
my expectations. He went beyond everything I had imagined and gave 200%.
He really nailed the character and surprised me with how much he brought to it. He did much more than I expected, and that made working with him on Varanasi a really special experience.
Democracy can stand only when people have complete confidence in constitutional institutions such as the Election Commission. National media reports that two Election Commissioners raised objections on several occasions to decisions, electoral rolls and the management of ECINet have led to serious questions and doubts among the public.
Rather than an exchange of allegations, the public needs clarity on what objections were recorded, what action was taken on them, and how transparently the system functioned, be it for adding, deleting or restoring names on electoral rolls. Steps are needed to give people confidence on these matters.
Ultimately, we must strengthen public trust in the electoral process, protect every citizen’s right to vote, and strengthen the systems that allow people to exercise that right without fear.
In a democracy, transparency should not only prevail but should also appear to have prevailed. The very bill (Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 ) which had our support then, should be revisited now in the current background. The Central government (Ruling Party) should come forward, set the normal in place dispelling this fear. An amendment to the bill be brought forward where the election commissioner is appointed by the three member committee which has Leader of Opposition (LoP), Chief Justice of India (CJI) and the Prime Minister as members once again. Student appointing the examiner is always prone to allegations even though the examiner is thoroughly honest and it is always better replacing the process with someone neutral. This move would definitely regain the esteem and the confidence in the Election Commission
This is especially important because, during the SIR process in Andhra Pradesh, the party in power misused its authority. On many occasions, our appeals went unheard. In the local body election process too, our objections as an Opposition party to the manner in which divisions were redrawn were brushed aside. Such actions undoubtedly weaken public confidence in the electoral process. Transparency and accountability are the true measures of how any institution functions in a democracy, and safeguarding them is that institution’s primary duty.
@ECISVEEP