SS Rajamouli landed in controversy over his comment on Lord Hanuman during the Varanasi Globe Trotter event, prompting severe backlash on social media. The director was targeted for allegedly hurting religious sentiments after he said he felt let down by Lord Hanuman.
Days after the controversy escalated, director Ram Gopal Varma stepped in and defended Rajamouli amid the ongoing backlash. In a long note shared on X, Varma argued that being an atheist in India is not a crime.
“In the context of all the venom being spewed by the so-called believers on @ssrajamouli, they should know that being an atheist in India is not a crime. Article 25 of the Constitution protects the right to not believe. So he has every right to say he doesn't believe—just as much as the venom-spewers' right to say they do believe. Now, coming to the dumb argument that ‘if he doesn't believe in God, why does he show God in his movies?' By that logic, should a filmmaker become a gangster to make a gangster film or a ghost to make a horror film?”
He went on to add, “And the gobsmacking truth? Despite him not believing in God, God gave @ssrajamouli 100 times more success, more wealth, and more fan worship than most believers will ever see even in a hundred lifetimes. So either (1) God loves atheists more than believers, (2) God doesn't care, or (3) maybe… God isn't sitting with a notepad taking notes on who believes and who doesn't. So if God has no issue with him, then why are the self-appointed God-mongers getting blood pressure and ulcers?”
“So the real problem isn't his atheism. The real problem is that he succeeded without believing in God—and that scares the ones who miserably failed even after praying like mad.
“The believers should stop defending God because it's like insulting Him, as if He is a weakling needing their protection.
“The truth is that Rajamouli being an atheist does not reduce God. It only increases the insecurity of those who think faith will collapse the moment someone stops believing. So relax. God is fine. Rajamouli is fine. The only ones suffering are the people who can't understand either of them. So through #Varanasi, while God adds another huge fortune to @ssrajamouli's already overflowing bank balance, the losers can cry their hearts out with jealousy. The bottom line is—it's plain jealousy masquerading as belief in God. Jai Hanuman,” he added a cheeky twist at the end.
What Rajamouli Said About Lord Hanuman
During the Varanasi Globe Trotter event, attended by the film's lead stars Priyanka Chopra, Mahesh Babu, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, a technical glitch marred the mood of the event.
Apologising for the inconvenience, SS Rajamouli said, “Naku devudu mida pedda nammakam ledu andi. Nannagaru vachi indaka Hanuma… venakala untadu, nadipistadu ani chepparu. Idi aina ventane kopam vachindi. Idena nadipinchedi ani? (I don't believe in God. My father mentioned that Hanuman would guide me. I got angry as soon as this (glitch) happened. Is this how He's helping me?)”
The remark triggered a floodgate of angry reactions on social media, with many alleging that he had hurt the sentiments of God-loving people.
On November 15, the Vanara Sena organisation lodged a complaint, accusing SS Rajamouli of allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments during his speech at the Globe Trotter event for his upcoming film Varanasi in Hyderabad.