Lyon, France: Acclaimed filmmaker SS Rajamouli has been honoured with a plaque on the prestigious Mur des Cinéastes at the Lumière Museum in Lyon, France, joining the ranks of some of the world's most celebrated filmmakers.

Rajamouli shared the milestone on social media after visiting the museum. He also toured the screening room in which his blockbuster films Eega and RRR were screened to a packed audience.

The filmmaker revealed that Thierry Fremaux, director of the Institut Lumière and the Cannes Film Festival, personally welcomed him before taking him on a special tour of the historic street regarded as the birthplace of cinema.

"I was already emotional for everything that was happening around me," Rajamouli wrote, recalling the visit.

The surprise came when Frémaux led him to the Mur des Cinéastes, a wall featuring plaques dedicated to legendary filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, and Francis Ford Coppola. Rajamouli noticed a plaque covered with a red cloth, only to discover it bore his own name.

"My mind went blank," he wrote, describing the emotional moment.

Expressing his gratitude, Rajamouli said he was deeply humbled to have his name permanently placed alongside some of cinema's greatest icons.

"I don't even know what to say for the honour of having my name permanently placed on the Mur des Cinéastes, along with the greats. Only gratitude. Deeply, deeply humbled," he wrote, thanking the Institut Lumière for "a memory I will carry for a lifetime."

Meanwhile, Rajamouli is gearing up for his next ambitious project, Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The filmmaker recently unveiled the film's first glimpse at the Annecy Animation Festival, further fuelling anticipation among fans.

The project was officially announced last year with the unveiling of its title and Mahesh Babu's first-look poster, which featured the actor riding an ox while holding a trident.

Varanasi is scheduled to release in theatres on April 7, 2027.

ANI