SSMB29: SS Rajamouli Drops RRR, Baahubali Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar From Mahesh Babu Starrer, Latter Says 'He Wanted To Try Someone Else'

SS Rajamouli's SSMB29 is one of the most talked about projects of Indian cinema. Mahesh Babu, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Priyanka Chopra form the main cast of the movie, said to be a "jungle-set" action-adventure drama. The director began the principal photography of his untitled next earlier this year and plans to release it sometime in 2026, as per reports. Meanwhile, it has come to light that Rajamouli has dropped his long-time collaborator from his upcoming film and has replaced him with someone new.

Cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar has confirmed that he is not a part of SSMB29. Senthil and Rajamouli have worked together on blockbusters like Chatrapathi, Magadheera, Eega, the Baahubali franchise and the director's latest RRR. Their long-standing collaborations have date back to the early 2000s when Rajamouli began his career as a director in Tollywood. To then part ways with   Senthil on one of his most ambitious projects, SSMB29, raises questions.

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Clearing rumours of a fallout between the two, Senthil shared, “It was Rajamouli’s call. He wanted to try someone else. People want to do different films with different people, right? So it is a good break."

“We’ve been working together since 2003, but we didn’t always do films back-to-back. There were breaks earlier too. I couldn’t do Maryada Ramanna or Vikramarkudu because I was working on other projects. Gaps have happened before also, but the relationship continues," he added.

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Some portions of SSMB29 have been shot earlier this year in Odisha. The lead cast was part of the schedule, details of which were kept under wraps. The unit was supposed to head to Kenya for shooting of some portions of the movie but the plans are in limbo due to the ongoing political tensions in the country.