RRR (2022)

By: Mike Ward on Saturday, December 24

NR Running Time: 187 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • You can’t tell me you only watch movies that entertain you and then turn your nose up to this. RRR is literally everything.

  • S.S. Rajamouli’s film, five years in the making, delivers music, visual effects, melodrama, and action unlike anything you’ve likely seen before. He’s a madman of a filmmaker and I love him.

  • Perhaps most importantly, it opens eyes up to the Indian film industry. There is a debate about different types of Indian films, but if RRR can open doors to Tollywood or Bollywood or Kollywood films and expose them to a wider audience, this is a good thing.

NO

  • If you can’t just embrace RRR and go with it, then I am truly sorry for you.

  • It should be noted that the Netflix version of RRR is not available in Telugu, the original language of the film. They present the film dubbed in Hindi (as well as English and other dubs).

  • Has courted controversy for adopting what seem believe to be Casteist views, best explained in a truly insightful piece by writer Ritesh Babu


OUR REVIEW

For those who have caught up to the Telugu film, RRR, you get it. The film is a three-plus hour work of creative genius. Steeped in the traditions of Indian cinema, it has musical sequences, melodramatic storytelling, and a wide array of explorations that make this unlike any movie you have ever seen.

After a promising domestic theatrical run in the spring of 2022, RRR gained traction after its arrival on Netflix, though it also courted controversy for not being presented in its proper language. The controversies between Tollywood and Bollywood, crudely simplified to indicate competition between the Telugu and Hindi movie industries, is a conversation for another time. All I know is that this bizarre, amazing concoction from writer/director S.S. Rajamouli is one of 2022’s most lasting and memorable films. 

If you’ve watched it, again, you get it. If you haven’t found it yet. Block the time.

Rajamouli is one of the few Indian filmmakers to find sustained box office success overseas in North America. RRR is the first film he has made since the conclusion of his Baahubali epic two-part film, which documents a mythical sibling rivalry in medieval India. Balancing fictionalized storytelling with real historical events, RRR takes place in 1920, during the British Raj, where Britain ruled over India in a tyrannical fashion.

Rajamouli mythologizes the relationship between two real-life Indian historical figures - Raju and Bheem. Individually, they led rebellions against the British Raj. Here, they team together to take down the British government, restore honor to Bheem’s tribe, and perhaps win the love of a woman along the way. 

Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao, Jr.) is the leader of the Gond Tribe, victimized by the British government with the abduction of a little girl named Malli (Twinkle Sharma). Bheem infiltrates India, under the false name of Akhtar, attempting to blend in as a Muslim to gain access and opportunity in rescuing the young girl. Encountering A. Rama Raju (Ram Charan), during an improbable rescue involving a train engulfed in flames and a damaged bridge, the two men become fast friends, aligned in the mission of capturing the girl and bringing down the British Raj at the same time.

This film has everything: Explosions. Violence. A 10-minute dance sequence with an absolute banger of a song (“Naatu Naatu”). Stilted dialogue. Mediocre English actors. And breathtaking, exhilarating fearlessness and a desire to simply entertain. N.T. Rama Rao, Jr., often known as NTR, and Charan leap off the screen with massive charisma and larger-than-life presence. You cannot name anyone, outside of perhaps Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, having more fun on screen than these two guys. 

As infectious and irresistible as they are together, Rajamouli makes every scene feel like an event. Even if the editing is choppy at times and the storytelling wanders a bit, the unpredictability and sheer audacity of what occurs is worth every moment. Without spoilers, if words like “Tiger Fight Scene,” “Fire Action Scene,” “Train Rescue,” “Naatu Naatu,” and a scene where one man carries another on his shoulders to fight off a steady stream of British baddies don’t at least pique your interest, then the wonder of the movies has left you.

With RRR, you get every movie experience possible. The film’s return to theaters in the fall of 2022 has led to sellouts, an IMAX presentation, and a growing, passionate fanbase that rivals any movie released since the pandemic. An action film, a historical drama, a love story, a mystery, a big-budget epic blockbuster, and a musical all in one, RRR defines the joy of making movies, the excitement of experiencing movies, and the love we share of escaping into the movies - all in one unforgettable package. 

CAST & CREW

Starring: N.T. Rama Rao Jr, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Ray Stevenson, Twinkle Sharma, Alison Doody, Shriya Sayan, Samuthirakani, Makrand Deshpande, Edward Sonnenblick

Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Written by: S.S. Rajamouli (screenplay); Vijayendra Prasad (story); Sai Madhav Burra (dialogue)
Release Date: March 25, 2022
Release Date (IMAX): June 1, 2022
Raftar Creations/Sarigama Cinemas/Variance Films