Rajya Sabha first, writing later

KV Vijayendra Prasad

On Wednesday, veteran screenwriter KV Vijayendra Prasad - along with athlete PT Usha, composer Ilaiyaraaja, and Veerendra Heggade - was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in the category of eminent persons chosen by the President of India. It comes as a fitting honour for the director-writer who has successfully straddled Telugu, Tamil and Hindi cinema. With a career spanning almost four decades, he has been the mind behind blockbusters like RRR, the Baahubali franchise and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), among others.

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Prasad reveals that he got a call "out of the blue", informing him about his nomination. "While it came as a surprise, I am deeply honoured to have been chosen by my country for the seat, and will honour it to the best of my ability," he says. He is easily one of the busiest writers in India today. Where he is scripting Pawan Putra Bhaijaan - the sequel to Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he also has Rowdy Rathore 2, and 1770: Ek Sangram, the adaptation of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's 1882 Bengali novel Anandamath. Prasad is also teaming up with filmmaker-son SS Rajamouli for the director's next with Mahesh Babu. Juggling his work, and duties as a Member of Parliament may pose a challenge. "Dividing my time will not be a problem. My first priority will be to attend to Rajya Sabha duties. I can write in my spare time."

The writer is said to be chosen for the seat as his films transcend regional boundaries, instilling a sense of cultural pride and unity. Point out how his movies have a strong patriotic theme, and he says, "To me, my country comes first. Hearing Bharat Mata, Vande Mataram and India puts me in an elevated state. That reflects in my work."

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