Today — October 10 — is a pretty special day for S.S. Rajamouli, the groundbreaking Indian director behind epics like the Baahubali films, Eega, and 2022's Oscar-winning breakout hit, RRR, whose astonishing, vibrant, endlessly inventive action sequences won the hearts of audiences the world over. Why is today special? Well, it's Rajamouli's 53rd birthday. Happy birthday, sir. And why is this year special? Because he's also celebrating an anniversary as a movie director, what with it being 25 years since he first stepped behind the camera on Student No: 1. And we thought we'd celebrate, not by sending him a cake, but John Nugent, who travelled earlier this year to Ramoji Film City, just outside of Hyderabad, to not only visit Rajamouli on the set of his latest and most ambitious film yet, Varanasi, but also sit down with him for an epic conversation about the director's career. Thanks to S.S. Rajamouli for being so generous with his time, and to Team Rajamouli for making this happen. Enjoy!