Rajamouli praises son Karthikeya, stays quiet on Suriya film at Chennai event

Director SS Rajamouli had two talking points at the pre-release event of Don't Trouble the Trouble, which was reportedly held in Chennai. He spoke warmly about his son, producer SS Karthikeya, and he politely avoided questions about a much-discussed film with Suriya, who was sitting in the audience.

Rajamouli was asked what tips he had given Karthikeya while he produced the film. He reportedly said he had not given him any tips. Instead, he named one quality he admires in his son. "The first thing I like about Karthikeya is his clarity of thought," he said. He added that in any deal, Karthikeya cares about the other person's share of the money as much as his own.

The director was also asked about his possible film with Suriya. According to reports, he said he had expected the question and come with an answer ready: he was there to promote Don't Trouble the Trouble, and anything he said about Suriya would become the headline and push the film to the sidelines. He did give fans one small hint. "Whenever we do a film, it is going to be really special," he said. Suriya, seated in the front row, appeared to enjoy the moment.

The fantasy entertainer is written and directed by Shashank Yeleti, with Hamza Ali as co-writer, and stars Fahadh Faasil and Ssara Palekar. Karthikeya produces it with Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni, and Rajamouli presents it. Kaala Bhairava composes the music, Brad Francis handles the cinematography and Praveen Anthony edits. Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal and Balakrishna reportedly lent their voices to the Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu trailers. The film is set for a worldwide release on October 2.

Rajamouli's own focus stays on Varanasi, which stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prithviraj Sukumaran. He has spoken fondly of Suriya before, calling him one of his "main inspirations" during the Kanguva promotions in November 2024. Fans hoping for news of the two working together will have to wait for an official announcement.