When SS Rajamouli's RRR was promoted in Hindi-speaking markets, its posters did not just say "from the director of Baahubali": they carried the Baahubali logo itself. Varun Gupta, who worked on the film's marketing campaign, has explained why, The Times of India reported.
The problem in the Hindi belt
Speaking on the Everyday Empires podcast, Gupta said audiences in the Hindi belt "couldn't differentiate between the two heroes", Jr NTR and Ram Charan. But Rajamouli's previous film, Baahubali, had been a huge hit there.
So the team added a "from the director of" line and, instead of writing Baahubali in text, used the film's logo. "Subconsciously, you will always recall the logo of the film, not the typography of the film," Gupta said.
"They kept me on my toes"
Gupta said Rajamouli and his son, SS Karthikeya, led every marketing decision on the film and trusted his team completely, often approving suggestions with "no questions asked". That trust made the team "even more cautious and accountable", he said.
"They are the ones who have given me sleepless nights," he said, adding that it was "in the right way".
RRR went on to earn about ₹1,230 crore worldwide, according to the trade tracker Sacnilk. Rajamouli's next film, Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, is due in cinemas worldwide in April 2027.