SS Rajamouli meets French filmmaker Costa-Gavras as Oscar-winning filmmaker spends 8 hours watching his films in Paris

IT's another proud mo for SS Rajamouli and native american movie house. The theatre director, whose films RRR and the Baahubali dealership have found audiences across the world, has been honoured with a permanent place at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris. Widely regarded as one of the most important film institutions in the world, it recognised SS Rajamouli's contribution to cinema in a celebration made even more special by Oscar-winning Greek-French filmmaker Costa-Gavras, who watched his films for nearly eight hours and stayed on for the masterclass.A rare honour at one of cinema's most respected institutionsSS Rajamouli has been given a permanent place at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris, a film archive founded by Henri Langlois in 1936 that has long celebrated the world's greatest storytellers. The occasion was marked with screenings of RRR (2022), Eega (2012) and Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), as part of a special retrospective celebrating the worldwide rise of Indian cinema. The event was supported by the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne and the Ministry of External Affairs.Sharing his reaction on X, Rajamouli wrote, "Having me here in Paris and screening my films is itself an honour for me. But a sweet surprise I never saw coming. It is a feeling I cannot fully put into words. To have a permanent place in the halls of one of the world’s most legendary film institutions, named after the great Henri Langlois himself, is something I will carry with me forever."He also thanked everyone who made the recognition possible, adding, "My deepest gratitude to the legendary Mr. Costa Gavras and the entire Cinémathèque Française family for this honour, and for embracing Indian cinema with such warmth and love." Costa-Gavras spent eight hours watching Rajamouli's filmsAmong the many unforgettable moments from the celebration, Costa-Gavras' gesture stood out the most. The legendary French-Greek filmmaker, whose films Z (1969) and Missing (1982) are considered classics, turned what was meant to be a brief visit into an all-day celebration of Rajamouli's work.Rajamouli's son SS Karthikeya tweeted that the 93-year-old Oscar winner had planned to watch only RRR and return another day for Eega. But after the first screening, he decided to stay back with his wife and experience the rest of the retrospective. Sharing the moment on X, Karthikeya wrote, "The 93-year-old Academy Award winner and legendary French filmmaker Mr. Costa Gavras came to watch RRR yesterday and told Rajamouli that he'll come back for Eega tomorrow, skip Baahubali today. But we were surprised—he came today along with his wife and stayed 8 hours straight to watch both films and the masterclass."The gesture clearly meant a lot to everyone involved. Karthikeya later added, “These are the moments that inspire us and remind why we are in cinema.” What's next for Rajamouli?SS Rajamouli is currently working on his next ambitious project, Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu. The film is expected to release globally in April 2027 and is already among the most anticipated Indian productions in development. The film also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran.