RRR

The Indian historical action epic, RRR, was a phenomenon that took over the world when it was released in March of 2022. Global media has become more widely appreciated in recent times, and RRR was no exception, quickly becoming one of the most successful Indian films ever released by topping several box office charts, sparked an online craze with a dance number that swarmed social media, and even managed to secure an Oscar for Best Song (marking the first time India took home the gold in said category). It wasn’t just considered one of the best Indian films of 2022, it was considered one of the best films of the year period and considering it could hold that title while being a three-hour-long, over-the-top, foreign-language historical fiction musical, it had to have done something phenomenally right.

During the British rule of India in the 1920s, the tyrannical Governor Scott Buxton (played by Ray Stevenson) and his wife, Catherine (played by Alison Doody) set off a bloody trail of dominos when they abduct a young girl named Malli (played by Twinkle Sharma) from the Gond tribe, who in retaliation, send the tribe’s guardian, Komaram Bheem (played by Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr. OR N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) to track down the Governor in the occupied city of Delhi and save her. While on his quest, an Indian Imperial police officer named Alluri Sitarama Raju (played by Ram Charam) wishes to get promoted so that he can fulfill his promise to his own village to provide enough weaponry to fight off the British forces, and may get his chance when he is tasked by Catherine to find and prevent this Gond warrior from retaking Malli, causing him to scour the city to find a culprit. After both men wind up meeting after saving a child from a fire, they become very close friends unaware that they are on opposing sides, which will quickly be revealed once Bheem finds Malli and Raju learns why Bheem is in Delhi. While this conflict crushes their once close bond, it slowly mends once they learn of the others true agenda, resulting in a team-up of aspiring freedom fighters who have their heart and minds set out eradicating the corrupt rulers leaching off their country.

RRR is such an overwhelming experience that it very easily could’ve been too out-of-left-field, but through electrifying direction, a surprisingly engaging screenplay that uses both fact and fiction very cleverly, insanely charming actors, unforgettable action set pieces, and bombastic visuals and song numbers, it’s unpredictable in all the best ways.

The film came about when director, Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli (otherwise known as S. S. Rajamouli) learnt about the stories of the real life Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, who acted as freedom fighters in the Andhra Pradesh during the turn of the twentieth century, shared very similar methods of taking down British forces (attacking police offices, supplying guns to their people, rallying the populace, etc) and were both killed by British forces. Seeing the parallels, Rajamouli took this opportunity to explore a hypothetical where they met and subsequently fought together against the empire, and while this idea is clearly not supposed to be taken seriously as it contains a lot of high-octane action, elaborate song sequences, and plenty of historical inaccuracies (the two never even met), the intent behind it really seemed to pay off. This feels like a tribute not just to these two, but to the several men and women who stood up for India’s independence and gave their lives to protect their country (shown very nicely during the movie’s final number), and even if it’s told in a hyper exaggerated fashion, the spirit behind what these two met from an almost mythic perspective, is always felt and the attitude only extenuates it.

With three hours to work with, it’s very impressive how few to any moments feel dull, as the story always feels like it’s moving forward at a great pace and provides crucial narrative or character information in almost every scene (at least when it doesn’t take a break to punch something or sing a song). There would’ve been room to trim a few seconds off these interludes, but they (along with the rest of the film) are directed, staged and performed with such a ferocity that it feels unlike anything commonly seen over in the west. It combines the theatricality, presence and spectacle of a 1960s Hollywood epic like Ben-Hur or The Ten Commandments, with the chaotic, characterful, and emotion-over-logic mentality of a 1980s action film like Commando or Die Hard which, while seemingly polar opposites, actually work very well together thanks to the fantastic direction and screenplay by Rajamouli. Being one of Indian’s highest grossing directors as well as one known for making movies with epic grandeur, stylish action and larger-than-life characters, he is super comfortable within this idea and manages to keep things charmingly entertaining and awesome while still sprinkling in some harsh truths. The actual narrative written by Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad (V. Vijayendra Prasad) never falls into expected cliches despite the multitude of expected tropes, the simple goals of the characters makes their motivations clear and always engaging, the main characters are so interesting to watch that you’re with them all the way through, and even though there’s so much plot, there is always something interesting or special going on.

It’s cool getting an insight into these two Indian freedom fighters and the impact they left on the country, even if it’s through a very fabricated lens. The dueling natures of both is not only clearly shown through the film’s title sequence and imagery (one representing water, the other representing fire, but both representing rebellion), but it also just leads to great storytelling, as these interpretations of both Bheem and Raju are heavily exaggerated, but incredibly gripping characters who really carry a lot of the film’s intrigue. Who they are and their motivations are very easy to grasp, their friendship features cliched moments, but they never feel forced or out-of-character, and both N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan are so good that every moment they’re on-screen is a delight.

They can play the most charming, charismatic every-men, and then become the most ferocious, primal, animals of violence on the turn of a dime, their acting exude star power, and through their intense stares, confidant demeanour, and very passionate energy behind every punch, kick and dance, they capture the personality and attitude of the film exceptionally well. The villains are also fairly enjoyable to watch, with Ray Stevenson and Allison Doody yucking it up pretty strongly as the corrupt British rulers, but they never go too far to the point that they feel overly fake, still exhibiting distinct personality traits in order to feel like proper characters. Sadly, the rest of the cast, while still very well performed, aren’t on the same level because they mainly just exist to move the story forward. Any relative or family member doesn’t leave that much of an impression, a lot of the side antagonists feel like lazy white racist stereotypes, and while Alia Bhatt and Olivia Morris get some cute moments with the leads as their respective love interests, they don’t get enough screen time or character relevance to feel like more than cinematic archetypes.

This film is under the banner of Telugu cinema (otherwise known as Tollywood) which is a section of Indian cinema dedicated entirely to the Telugu language (which is mainly spoken in the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). Since this portion of Indian cinema is responsible for the highest source of box-office in the country and is considered one of the most advanced and sophisticated in the country due to its prevalent usage of visual effects and intricate cinematography, it was the smartest option to pick when bringing this movie to life, as the spectacle it provides is nothing short of unbelievable. There have been several over-the-top action flicks, and the overseas market is home to a lot of interesting experimental action films that break the rules of reality (especially Asia and India), but this movie does not care at all about feasible logic and just goes insane, and the audience is all the more thankful for it. This isn’t entirely true as the drama and consequences are played pretty straight and surprisingly don’t feel out of place, and this is likely due to its feverish personality that operates on passion rather than logic, so as long as the emotions are felt, the real-world specifics don’t matter that much.

The action has a nice blend of straightforward gun play/hand-to-hand, and full blown supernatural martial arts trickery that features whips and chains, motorcycles, and even a full-blown tiger. It’s over-the-top magnificence and all the technical aspects are on the same level of scale. The film has fantastic imagery thanks to the cinematography by K. K. Senthil Kumar, the visual effects by Vadlamudi Srinivas Mohan would look cheap by Hollywood standards, but feel more like a dedicated attempt to push above the norm in a different moviemaking landscape, and the musical score by Koduri Marakathamani Keeravaani (M. M. Keeravaani) has a guttural percussive sound that really makes it feel like a war cry and the hearty choir brings a weight to the story on display. Song sequences are pretty common in a lot of Indian films, so having them in this serious war epic isn’t as strange as you’d imagine, but they strangely don’t feel all that needed. They aren’t done badly, and Naatu Naatu is one heck of a catchy number with wonderfully jolty movement (it did win an Oscar for a reason), but the rest of the numbers don’t really offer that much else despite still sounding nice and having good melodies.

RRR made a splash when it came out, and even though it isn’t really talked about that much now, it is going to be a film that will last a long, long time. There have been other foreign movies that have blown up and become globally popular, and there have been other Indian films that have portrayed a real-world person or event through the lens of cinematic absurdity (some even by the same director), but this film feels like a special case and while it may never be duplicated, any other attempts made in the future are going to be worth keeping an eye on if the results are anywhere near as close to this. Through the grand scale of its production, the dedication of its actors, and the effectiveness of its behind-the-scenes talent, it was able to carve a legacy for itself and much like the two real world freedom fighters, RRR has been immortalized and will forever be held to a legendary status.