Within days of its release, SS Rajamouli’s RRR has reportedly earned Rs 500 crore at the global box office. Not many are surprised by the smashing success of the Ram Charan and Jr NTR-starrer, least of all the film’s writer KV Vijayendra Prasad. “I was always sure that RRR would become a big hit,” says the noted writer, at the beginning of our chat. 

So how did Prasad and his acclaimed director-son arrive at the universe of the ambitious period drama? The veteran writer reveals that the casting was finalised before the duo sat down to script the drama. “While making Baahubali, Rajamouli knew he wanted to direct a multi-starrer next. I thought of all possible combinations — Ram Charan and Allu Arjun, Rajinikanth and Ram Charan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, and more. But my son said, ‘I’ll need the stars’ dates for one-and-a-half to three years. Ego clashes are bound to happen. So, let me instead do a project with two heroes with whom I have a good rapport — Jr NTR and Ram Charan."