Some honours leave even the most accomplished filmmakers speechless. SS Rajamouli experienced exactly that in Lyon, France, where his name was permanently etched onto a wall.
Image Source: X
SS Rajamouli just had a moment he will probably remember for the rest of his life. The director is currently taking a short break from filming ‘Varanasi’ to travel through Europe, and that break led him straight into cinema history.
Rajamouli was inducted into the Institut Lumière’s Wall of Filmmakers during his visit to Lyon, France. The institute is one of the most respected names in world cinema, and being added to this wall places a filmmaker among true legends of the industry.
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His name was permanently added to the Mur des Cinéastes, which translates to the Wall of Filmmakers. That wall already carries names like Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, and Francis Ford Coppola. Rajamouli now sits alongside them.
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Visited the Lumière Museum and the screening room where Eega and RRR was screened to a full house in Lyon, France.
Thierry Frémaux, the director of the Institut Lumière and the Cannes Film Festival, was gracious enough to introduce me. Then he said he had planned a surprise and… pic.twitter.com/2ZA8UT7Zxf
— rajamouli ss (@ssrajamouli) July 2, 2026
Rajamouli shared the full story himself on his X account, describing the moment in detail. He wrote about visiting the Lumière Museum and the screening room where his films Eega and RRR had once played to full houses in Lyon.
During the visit, Thierry Frémaux, who heads both the Institut Lumière and the Cannes Film Festival, personally introduced him. According to Rajamouli, Frémaux then revealed he had planned a surprise. He walked Rajamouli through the very street considered the birthplace of cinema itself.
Rajamouli admitted he was already emotional just taking in everything happening around him at that point.
The bigger surprise came next. SS Rajamouli described seeing a wall covered in plaques bearing the names of filmmaking legends. Then he noticed one particular plate covered with a red cloth.
He said his mind went blank in that moment. He admitted he did not even know what to say about the honour of having his name permanently placed on the Mur des Cinéastes alongside some of cinema’s greatest names.
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