Director S.S. Rajamouli was already the most successful living filmmaker in his home country of India before audiences across the world became acquainted with him thanks to the crossover success of RRR. The period action film rode a wave of positive buzz on its way to an unprecedented Academy Award win in the Best Original Song category. The world seemingly his oyster, Rajamouli neither leaped on the Marvel bandwagon nor did he immediately begin cranking out an RRR sequel; instead, he’s been working quietly on an Indiana Jones-inspired movie made entirely in India. And this unpredictability is exactly what the upcoming documentary film Modern Masters: S.S. Rajamouli will attempt to unpack.

The film received a first trailer recently, featuring testimonials from Rajamouli’s RRR stars Jr. NTR and Ram Charan, as well as the legendary James Cameron, and the star of his Baahubali films, Prabhas. While a significant amount of time is devoted to highlighting Rajamouli’s exuberance and artistic integrity, the trailer also hints at a more dictatorial side to his personality. “He’s a mad person,” says Prabhas, who attained stratospheric stardom following the success of the two Baahubali movies, and more recently with Kalki 2898 AD, which features Rajamouli in a quick cameo. “He’s a legend,” says director Karan Johar, who was perhaps the most recognizable Indian filmmaker among international audiences before Rajamouli came along.

“He certainly has the respect to do anything and work with anybody,” Cameron says, and Jr. NTR adds, “This person was born to make films. He’s born to tell stories that haven’t been told.” But Rajamouli apparently also has a dark side. They used to call him a “demon,” one person says, over footage of the filmmaker animatedly giving direction on set. “You start to feel he has no empathy. He’s a madman; there’s no point arguing with him. Just deliver what he wants, and get out,” Jr. NTR adds.

Rajamouli Has Directed Two of India’s Three Highest-Grossing Movies

We then see quick visuals that reveal Rajamouli inexplicably has a man to hold the mic for him when he says, “Roll camera, and action!” He doesn’t merely give direction to actors by giving line readings and showing them exactly what expressions he expects out of them, but he also participates in the stunt work, riding horses, swinging on cables, and explaining fight choreography. “The only thing that I am a slave to is to my story,” he says as the trailer ends, revealing the release date: August 2. Rajamouli remains best known for RRR and the blockbuster Baahubali movies, but he gained major recognition in India first for his period epic Magadheera, and the sci-fi romp Eega. You can watch the trailer for Modern Masters: S.S. Rajamouli here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

via Collider