Chiranjeevi starrer 'Vishwambhara' director Vassishta on Indian filmmakers getting inspired by Hollywood: Nobody talks about how much they've taken from us
The teaser of Megastar
Chiranjeevi
's upcoming socio fantasy film, 'Vishwambhara', includes a shot where Chiranjeevi is seen soaring through the skies on a "Rekkala Gurram" (a winged horse), which led to speculation among fans that it was a reference to the mythical Pegasus from Western folklore.
In a recent interview, the director of the film Vassishta shared the true inspiration behind that sequence.
Flying horse
inspiration
While speaking with Gulte, Vassishta shared that the flying horse sequence in 'Vishwambhara' was heavily inspired by the 1949 Telugu classic 'Keelu Gurram', starring Akkineni Nageshwara Rao. "Keelu Gurram was such a layered story for its time. Even back then, the hero rode a magical horse to journey through fantastical lands.
That concept deeply inspired me," said the director.
Concept long existed in Indian culture
He explained that while many might connect a flying horse to Hollywood's Pegasus, the idea has long existed in Indian culture. "People assume the flying horse idea is foreign, but our temples have sculptures of them. You can see them carved into palanquins, temple ceilings, and in folklore," Vassishta said. "In Vishwambhara, our hero too shares an emotional bond with his Rekkala Gurram.
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It's rooted in our heritage.
"
The 'Bimbisara' director also mentioned that we always hear about how Indian filmmakers are inspired by Hollywood, but the influence goes both ways. "We often talk about getting inspired by Hollywood. But nobody talks about how much they've taken from us," he said.
Earlier, while speaking with Etimes, the director had shared that long before Hollywood made films like 'Hulk' and 'Hollow Man', similar concepts had already been explored in Tollywood, citing movies like 'Sabash Satyam' and 'Mahabaludu' from the late 1960s. "There were many instances of Hollywood inspired by our films," he said.
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