In the famous 2017 “No Man’s Land” sequence wonder woman, Gal Gadot strides in slow motion across a barren battlefield, deflecting German bullets with her handcuffs and magical shield. The wind blows through her hair as she leaps across the muddy fields with godlike agility while the score swells with patriotic pride behind her. There is a similar moment in RRR (“Rise Roar Revolt”), SS Rajamouli’s action-drama hybrid about the adventures of two Indian revolutionaries who take different approaches to resist British occupation in 1920s Delhi. The difference is in RRRit’s just one of half a dozen such scenes.
The latest oversized action extravaganza from Rajamouli – director of the much-loved Baahubali Movies, available on Netflix – mythologizes two historical figures, Komaram Bheem (NT Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Konidela Ram Charan). In real life, Bheem was a leader of the Gondi people who worked with other groups to resist landowners and mining companies encroaching on tribal lands. Raju, meanwhile, led guerrilla raids on Imperial police stations and seized British arms and ammunition to level the playing field between the colonizer and the colonized.
This last point finds its way in RRR, as part of a story that reimagines Raju as a supercop on a mission to bring down the British power structure from within. That’s a small liberty, though, compared to the fact that both Raju and Bheem have superheroic agility, strength, and combat abilities in the film. Both can scale buildings like Spider-Man, dodge bullets like Wonder Woman, and knock down their opponents like pro wrestlers. Representing the element of water, Bheem counts the beasts of the forest among his allies and charges onto the battlefield with tigers and wolves at his side. And Raju, representing fire, drives a burning carriage and shoots flaming arrows. Imagine Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere joining the MCU, with Franklin harnessing the power of electricity and Revere harnessing the speed of the wind.
The superpowers aren’t the only liberties you take with their stories. RRR explains gaps in both men’s histories by suggesting they became friends after traveling to Delhi in the early 1920s – Raju as an undercover imperial policeman, Bheem on a rescue mission to rescue a village girl kidnapped by a colonial governor became. (They never met in real life.) In the film, the pair bond over their mutual antics. You are two strangers who nod in agreement to embark on a dangerous impromptu rescue mission to rescue a young boy trapped in a burning train wreck on a river in Delhi.
Subtlety, to say the least, is not Rajamouli’s thing. And so the director not only uses every available opportunity to hammer in the theme of “fire and water”, but also works with dramatic slow-motion shots wherever possible. Bheem trips and knocks a silver tray out of a waiter’s hand at a garden party? The tray falls in slow motion and spins to a halt as guests stare with wide eyes and open jaws. Raju hits a punching bag in frustration after being passed over for a promotion? You bet those beads of sweat roll off his gleaming, muscular shoulders and dashing mustache at half speed.
RRR also deals with big emotions to match his hyperdramatic shooting style. Betrayal, loyalty and legacy are all major themes and an alternative title for the film could be ss
but RRR takes some time for comedy and music amidst his stylized exploits of mythological bravery. Between the title card – which pops up around the 45 minute mark – and the intermission (sorry, “InterRRRmission”), two hours tumble in, RRR pauses for a breezy interlude that invites viewers to hang out with provincial Bheem and anglicized Raju as they engage in mischief and chase girls. Raju has a sweetheart at home – his childhood friend Sita (Alia Bhatt) to whom he swore eternal loyalty before leaving his village to join the Indian Imperial Police. So he acts as Bheem’s wingman, helping Bheem charm the likeable Englishwoman Jenny (Olivia Morris) with his oh-shucks attitude and impressive dancing skills.
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Photo: DVV Entertainment
Jr NTR (the common acronym for NT Rama Rao Jr.) and Ram Charan, both Telugu superstars in their own right, showcase those skills in the rousing “Naatu Naatu,” RRR‘s only true musical production number. (Another song, “Etthara Jenda,” is played over the credits, and Bheem brings his defiance into the song while being punished for his revolutionary activities.) Longtime Rajamouli collaborator MM Keeravani provides music for these numbers, along with one Theme song and instrumental compositions designed to get the audience going.
RRR is a busy film full of kinetic camerawork, bustling crowd scenes, lavish set design, expensive-looking CGI, and loud sound effects. Rajamouli is adept at balancing the film’s many elements, so “overexcited” isn’t quite the right word for how it comes offf RRR feels. It’s more like the comfortable exhaustion after a good workout.
The long running times of Indian films used to be a barrier to entry for Western viewers who were not used to spending three full hours in the cinema. But times have changed, and RRR is only 10 minutes longer than The Batman. On the other hand, although it is set for release in 30 countriesthe film assumes a familiarity with certain characters and iconography that might overwhelm foreign viewers. Still, at its core, this is a story about people fighting for their faith against all odds. It’s about perseverance and the strength to work together towards a common goal. These themes are universally relatable—as is the dizzying thrill of watching racist forces of imperial oppression get exactly what is coming their way.
RRR is now playing in selected theaters worldwide.
[Ed. note: We recommend viewers check local listings or contact the theater to make sure you’re catching the version of RRR you want to see. The film was shot in Telugu, but some theaters are running multiple screens with versions of the film dubbed into one or more of the other major Indian languages: Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. A Telugu screening will give you the original voice performances with English subtitles.]
