You Should Be Watching: RRR
It was the number one Netflix hit in 10 countries with over 47 million hours streamed, some of it’s clips have garnered millions of views on TikTok and YouTube and with that Tollywood has hit Bulletproof Action! RRR is wonderfully crafted and quite impressive in its execution. I will not pretend to know the complexities of Indian cinema but the production value, the action sequences and set pieces are all extraordinary to watch. It’s an action movie, revenge tale, bromance and romantic comedy all rolled into one.
After finishing the film I had to know more. I started diving in and I vastly underestimated the importance of this film. First there is the title RRR. While the title says it stands for Rise Roar Revolt, in reality it stands for the names of the highest profile actors and directors in Indian cinema. Actors Rama and Ram and director Rajamouli. Of the top 5 highest grossing films in Indian film history he has 3 of them. Followed by the two biggest actors who when asked why they have never been in a movie together answered “no one could afford us both”. The best correlation is if in the 90s Spielberg made a movie starring Stallone and Schwarzenegger and they just called it SSS cause why not. And I’m not exaggerating with the comparison that these men are idols around the world. A ten second clip from the movie garnered millions of views almost instantly. Look up the YouTube videos of the reactions in theaters when the trailer dropped and then when the movie released. It puts theater reactions to a Marvel movie to shame. It all has a very golden age of Hollywood vibe. The era of stars tied to studios and bringing fans along with them for every picture. Not just in the studio Star but the studio system. Wide shots left to play and larger than life crowd shots with hundreds of extras. It feels like a Lawrence of Arabia type film of the past with sheer grandeur.
While taking in the 3 HOUR RUN TIME, I couldn’t help but think how the rest of the world is really catching up in terms of quality and pop culture relevance here at home. Squid Game was the breakout hit last year, Parasite was the first foreign film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. A combination of technology becoming more accessible and streaming services allowing us to see the best the world has to offer has opened some brave new worlds. If there are other films out there like RRR I’m game.
But what the heck is RRR all about? Well set during the British occupation of India in the 1920s it is actually based on a true story of two revolutionaries that fight the oppression of some limey British bastards. When I say based on a true story “based” is doing some heavy lifting there as the Tollywood charm of action, drama, music and dance is peppered throughout the film. The two lead actors N T Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan carry the whole film. Not only are they in just about every scene of a long movie but they are running fighting or dancing almost non stop. Absolute legends.
I have to say I was enthralled with all of it. The setting and period costumes, the action and the lore. A true story but almost like a tale being passed down slowly growing in grandeur with each generation. I enjoy looking at how different cultures tell stories and seeing an action movie filled with Bad Asses not afraid to dance it out is so entertaining. I won’t spoil one of the key dynamics of the movie but man is it well done. Playing on your emotions and expectations and garnering sympathy. Sure it has some moments so cheesy I laughed hysterically but it’s all done with such passion and commitment it is hard not to fall in love with it. The movie deals with some heavy themes like colonization, racism, and genocide and I suppose the long run time helps it here. There are some serious tone shifts and if it was all crammed into a regular hour and a half or two hour film those tonal shifts would be awfully jarring. Perhaps one way would be to break it up into a few viewings if need be. The hour and a half mark gives a pretty natural break if you can’t get it all in one sitting. I say this but you may not be able to cause the action sequence that happens at the hour and a half point is balls to the walls. A man throws a leopard at a soldier!!
I went in at the very least expecting the spectacle and absurdity to keep me engaged but there was so much more here to enjoy and appreciate. If you have an itch for something completely different than what you have been watching RRR could be the perfect weekend watch.
