By: Andrew Wing

RRR is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language epic action drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad. It was produced by D. V. V. Danayya of DVV Entertainment. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson (Dexter, Black Sails), Alison Doody (A View to a Kill, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), and Olivia Morris.

The film centers around two real-life Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao), their fictional friendship, and their fight against the British Raj. Set in the 1920s, the plot explores the undocumented period in their lives when both the revolutionaries chose to go into obscurity before they began the fight for their country.

Rajamouli came across stories about the lives of Rama Raju and Bheem and connected the coincidences between them, imagining what would have happened had they met and been friends. The film was formally announced in March 2018. Principal photography of the film began in November 2018 in Hyderabad and continued until August 2021, owing to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was shot extensively across India, with a few sequences filmed in Ukraine and Bulgaria. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by M. M. Keeravani, with cinematography by K. K. Senthil Kumar and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. Sabu Cyril is the film's production designer whilst V. Srinivas Mohan supervised the visual effects.

Made on a budget of ₹550 crore ($72 million), RRR is the most expensive Indian film to date. The film was initially scheduled for theatrical release on July 30, 2020, which was postponed multiple times due to production delays and the pandemic. RRR was released theatrically on March 25, 2022, and it hit the Netflix streaming service on May 20, 2022.

With ₹240 crore (US$30 million) worldwide on its first day, RRR broke the record for the highest opening-day collection earned by an Indian film. RRR emerged as the highest-grossing film in its home market of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, grossing over ₹415 crore (US$52 million) and surpassing Rajamouli's previous film Baahubali 2. The film grossed ₹1,200 crore (US$175.47 million) worldwide, setting several box office records for an Indian film, including the third highest-grossing Indian film and second highest-grossing Telugu film worldwide. It also went on to become the highest-earning Indian film in Japan. RRR became the third Indian film and the first Telugu film to receive nominations at the Golden Globes, nominated in the Best Non-English Language Film Category and for the Best Original Song. It was nominated in three categories at the 47th Saturn Awards and won the Best International Film award. The film was considered to be one of the best films of the year by the National Board of Review, making it only the second non-English film ever to make it to the list.

THE GOOD

The time has finally come! I truly cannot believe that it has been almost seven whole months since RRR hit Netflix and became one of the most talked about films of the year! I added it to my watchlist once I saw how much hype and praise it was getting, but life got in the way as it does and next thing you know it’s almost Christmas and I still haven’t watched the epic action film that has recently been getting some awards nominations and consideration. All that said, earlier this week I had some free time so my brother and I decided that it was officially time to watch RRR! But was it worth the wait? Keep reading to find out!

It most definitely was! I am a huge fan of foreign films, but despite that, this was my first time watching an Indian film aside from The Apu Trilogy from the great Satyajit Ray, but needless to say, RRR is quite different from those films. Nevertheless, I am so happy I checked this out because as my brother said once we finished it, it was just so entertaining from start to finish. I will be giving a lot of praise to this film throughout this review but I have to start by praising the man in charge, the director S. S. Rajamouli, who also co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad. Simply put, Rajamouli directed the shit out of this movie. There was so much detail in every scene and the action sequences were just on another level. More than that, the script he wrote here alongside Prasad was such a simple yet beautiful story that allowed me as the viewer to emotionally connect with the characters. All in all, Rajamouli made a fan out of me with this epic action drama film of his that could very well earn him a Best Director nomination at the upcoming Academy Awards.

As good as Rajamouli’s direction, screenplay, and action sequences were, this movie is carried by the amazing performances of the cast, particularly Rama Rao and Charan’s. This was obviously the first I had ever seen of these two actors, but oh my lord, it did not take very long to fall in love with them and their characters! Both of them were just absolute beasts who kicked a whole lot of ass for three hours, and I just loved every second of it! I hope with how much universal acclaim this movie has gotten in the United States that we can see them in some American films in the very near future because they both just carry that movie star quality that doesn’t come around too often.

To continue with my praise for RRR, this film just doesn’t miss on a technical level. The editing done by A. Sreekar Prasad was so awesome! There were so many sick cuts during all the action scenes and while I’m usually not a big fan of slow-motion shots, I loved every single one this movie had to offer! More than that, the cinematography we got here from K. K. Senthil Kumar was awards-worthy! India is just an incredibly beautiful place and Kumar took full advantage of the setting the film took place in. And last but not least, when it comes to the techs, the VFX in RRR are superb! Spoiler alert, there are a ton of wild animals in this movie, specifically tigers, and they looked so damn real, so shoutout to V. Srinivas Mohan, the man who supervised the visual effects.

But despite how good the film looked, RRR sounded even better in my opinion. The background score that was composed by M. M. Keeravani was just terrific! It was just one of those background scores that brought so much to every scene, and let’s just say that I was humming it for the remainder of the day after watching this. As for the soundtrack though, it is truly fantastic. There were so many great songs from the soundtrack, but hands down the best one was "Naatu Naatu" which is I would say pretty much a lock to get a nomination for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, and it’s so good it might even win!

THE BAD

I don’t know what you want me to say, RRR is just one hell of a fun time from start to finish! That said, there’s no denying that this movie isn’t for everybody. For starters, it’s a foreign film that is spoken entirely in the Telugu language, and on top of that, the film clocks in at just over three hours with a 182-minute runtime. And I’m one that doesn’t really care too much about long run times, but even I’ll admit that this movie is way too long. Aside from that, the movie is pretty absurd at times with the situations our protagonists find themselves in and somehow get out of, but despite all that, the movie is just so freaking entertaining, and for that reason and that reason alone, I urge you to give RRR a try. I have a feeling you won’t regret it!

THE VERDICT

Thanks to incredible action sequences, amazing musical numbers, and some impressive filmmaking from S. S. Rajamouli, RRR is about as epic a movie as you will ever see! The Indian Telugu-language action drama film is entertaining from the 1st minute to the 182nd, and it’s carried by the unforgettable bromance that is N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan!

Sure, it has its flaws and it's over the top, but the movie is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and plus, it’s got a legit shot at getting a Best Picture nomination despite India not even submitting it as their entry for Best International Feature Film!