Will Allu Arjun's Raaka get an Oscar? Director Atlee opens up about his big dream

Director Atlee said at the Baththa success meet that winning an Oscar is a personal dream, and named Raaka among the films he hopes can get there. He framed the ambition as a sign of confidence in Indian cinema and said he would keep trying until he reaches that stage.

In Short

• At a Baththa success meet, Atlee spoke about ambition and perseverance
• He said support from audiences would help him reach global milestones
• Atlee credited Shah Rukh Khan's belief for helping him in Mumbai

Director Atlee has set his sights on one of cinema’s biggest milestones — an Oscar. Speaking at the success meet of Vijay Sethupathi-starrer Baththa in Chennai on Monday, which he co-produced, Atlee said that winning the coveted award had become a personal dream and that he was determined to give it his all to make it a reality.

When asked if his upcoming directorial, Raaka, starring Allu Arjun, would get an Oscar, he said,“Someone somewhere said that if you win an Oscar, you’ve achieved in life. That thought has ingrained itself in the public mindset. My wish is to see if I can achieve that. That’s my small dream. I am giving it my all to achieve that. If you all support me, I will reach that milestone. When I stand on that stage, I will talk in Tamil."

The filmmaker went on to say that such a dream was not impossible and urged people to believe that they could achieve it. “We can actually achieve that dream, I promise. There should be no doubt in thinking that we can do it,” he said.

Atlee also recalled how his equation with Shah Rukh Khan helped him make a mark in Bollywood. He pointed out that he was relatively unknown in Mumbai when he first arrived there, but his work in Jawaan eventually changed that.

“SRK believed in me. Nobody knew me in Bombay. If I go out here, four people would approach me for a selfie. Sethu anna would get 40 selfies. In Bombay, nobody knew me. I would casually walk around wearing shorts. But today, they recognise me and approach me for photographs. I didn’t wish for it, I worked for it,” he said.

‘Hollywood looking back at us not a big dream’

Atlee also pushed back against the idea that aspiring for global recognition was overly ambitious. He said wanting Hollywood to take notice of Indian cinema was not greed but a reflection of confidence.

“Likewise, thinking that Hollywood should look back at us is not an act of greed. In fact, thinking that way would be a sign of a narrow mindset. It’s a small place, we can easily achieve that. I have that confidence in myself and so do the people who work with me. I will take them there,” he said.

Atlee added that even if he does not achieve the milestone with his current project, he intends to keep trying. “If I don’t achieve it this time, I will try again with my next film. Baththa should win, Raaka should win,” he said.

What is Raaka about?

Raaka is Atlee’s next major project and is being mounted as an ambitious international action drama. The film stars Allu Arjun in the lead, with Deepika Padukone and Keerthy Suresh also part of the cast. The project marks Atlee’s first collaboration with Allu Arjun and is being produced on a large scale.

Raaka is likely to be made in two parts, with the first part likely to hit theatres in 2027.

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