Language : Telugu
Director : S.S. Rajamouli
Writers : V Vijayendra Prasad, S.S. Rajamouli
Cast : Ram Charan, N.T Rama Rao Jr., Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Olivia Morris
Genre : Action | Drama
Streaming – Theatres near you!
“Whether it is subtitling or the (original) language, it’s just a medium of communication. Those are not important for me. I would rather want my audience to get the story through the visuals, the way actors are performing or how the background score is. That is what I would prefer as a filmmaker” – S.S. Rajamouli
Watching an S.S Rajamouli film has become a festival in itself. You know he’s definitely going to entertain you with never before seen set pieces and visual grandeur to compliment his emotionally driven story. RRR, his latest with two stalwarts of Telugu cinema is a gratifying audiovisual experience that stays true to its expectations.
RRR tells a fictionalized story around a what-if tag team scenario between two real-life freedom fighters; Alluri Sitharama Raju (played by Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (played by Jr NTR), in their struggle against the British. The film focuses on their missions, friendship, betrayal, and eventual brotherhood.
Now almost every film based on India’s freedom fight has largely been a true recount of incidents with only limited doses of cinematic liberty. This is where one needs to appreciate the imagination of a visionary like Rajamouli. For a country boasting of a rich and dynamic history with enough heroes at its centre, it is bemusing that it’s taken this long for someone to attempt a film of this nature and scale. I’m not saying RRR is the best film that’s ever made, but it does make for an enthralling cinematic experience.
The humongous action set pieces are the biggest highlight of RRR. Mounted on lavish budgets and crazy ideas, they are definite to leave you awestruck. Almost all these sequences consist of over-the-top and logic-defying stunts but the film keeps you invested in the proceedings in such a way that you end up overlooking these aspects. It’s a technically rich film with every department putting their best to comprehend the vision of the director. MM Keeravani’s pulsating songs and bgm play an extremely crucial role in elevating the energy in the scenes. K.K Senthil’s rich cinematography, Sabu Cyril’s meticulous production design, Sreekar Prasad’s editing, and above all Nick Powell’s jaw-dropping action choreography, are all major highlights of this giant venture.
But unlike previous Rajamouli films, RRR isn’t solid with its underlying emotions. Even though the screenplay boasts of plenty of tear-jerking moments, one fails to connect with them completely. For example, the friendship between the leads is established only through a montage song (a well-shot ‘Dosthi’ track), and now when a loyalty-driven conflict arises between the two, you are hardly incited by it. One could sense an over-reliance in the screenplay, on the grandeur and action blocks, to compensate for this lack of a strong emotional foundation. After a riveting first half that culminates with a hysterical interval bang, RRR dips in the second half. The flashback portion of Ram’s character is basic and only manages to create an impact towards the end of that segment. The absence of a strong villain is felt throughout the film which affects the climax, leaving you slightly disappointed.
Both Ram Charan and Jr NTR have given their 110 percent. Both characters are extremely demanding, physically and emotionally. Ram Charan ups his game with a commendable portrayal of the multi-layered Alluri Sitharama Raju. He’s convincing as the focused man who lives for his aim. With a slightly higher screen time, Ram Charan makes the most out of this collaboration, and exceeds expectations. Jr NTR is equally solid as the naive yet ferocious Bheem. He handles the emotional and comic bits well, but for the kind of performer he is, Bheem isn’t a challenging one. Ajay Devgn makes a mark in his extended cameo. The female characters played by Olivia Morris and Alia Bhatt don’t enjoy much screen space but their characters make vital contributions and both were fine in their respective roles. Alison Doody and Ray Stevenson who play the grey characters were also convincing.
Overall, RRR is an extravagant mass masala entertainer that lives up to its pre-release hype. With appealing characterizations and adrenaline-pumping segments, this Indian film is a cinematic spectacle that deserves to be enjoyed on the big screens.
Verdict – 4/7 Stars
Good.
Trivia:
This film title has different abbreviations in different languages but commonly called RRR. Roudram Ranam Rudhiram in Telugu, Raththam Ranam Rowthiram in Tamil, Roudra Rana Rudhira in Kannada, Rudhiram Ranam Roudhram in Malayalam (all of which translate to Rage, War, Blood) and Rise Roar Revolt in both Hindi and English.
This is one of the first films in India to be Shot on Arri Alexa LF and Arri’s Signature Prime Lens
The title RRR is initially just a working title standing for the director (S.S. Rajamouli) and the two main leads’ (Ram Charan, N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) initials but then the director later decided to make it the official title as it got famed.
Alluri Sita Ramaraju and Komaram Bheem were freedom fighters of India who didn’t meet in real. This film is completely fictitious and based on an idea of what if those two met.
