filmmaker SS Rajamouli on Thursday was awarded the Best Director for RRR at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2022 (NYFCC). In a video that has surfaced on social media, the filmmaker can be seen receiving the award, while being cheered loudly by the audience. As he walked up to receive his award, some in the audience gave him a standing ovation.
In his acceptance speech, Rajamouli spoke about a particular sequence from Terminator 2. Talking about how he’s always been fascinated by the power of cinema to immerse audiences, he mentioned an example of watching Terminator 2 as a youngster and the reaction of the people he witnessed when the film was stopped at the intermission point.
“It was pure joy of awe, like what in hell we just witnessed. That is what I want my audiences to feel,” he said.
Rajamouli was joined by his wife and son Karthikeya for the awards ceremony. Karthikeya took to Twitter to share pictures of his father with the award plaque.
RRR has been on the lists of several best of the year lists from film critics around the world, including the US. The team has been campaigning for the Telugu film all throughout this current awards season with director Rajamouli attending many raucous, sold-out screenings of the Indian feature.
Naatu Naatu is also on the Oscars shortlist for in the Music (Original Song) category. This is the third major international nomination for Naatu Naatu, the widely popular track from SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus RRR.
