SSR in Conversation with Penn State Filmmaking Students , A student asks him about Mahesh Babu and his upcoming film #Varanasi. Q: You’ve worked with actors like Prabhas, Jr. NTR and Ram Charan, and after working with you, they went on to become huge stars. But this time, you’re working with Mahesh Babu, who is already a massive superstar. From a filmmaking perspective, does directing an already established star change your approach or make the process different for you? Rajamouli: I never choose an actor just because he is a superstar. I choose someone who truly fits the character. Once I choose them, I expect them to trust me, and I’ll guide them to give the performance the character needs. Yes, Mahesh Babu is a huge superstar. But with Mahesh Babu in Varanasi, I expected him to give 100%, because that’s what I know he is capable of. But once I started working with him, he completely exceeded my expectations. He went beyond everything I had imagined and gave 200%. He really nailed the character and surprised me with how much he brought to it. He did much more than I expected, and that made working with him on Varanasi a really special experience.