RRR directed by S.S. Rajamouli (India, 2022)
I’ve never seen film quite like this. The astonishing three hour epic has rightly made this Telugu-language film into a global phenomenon.
In an otherwise sceptical SLATE review, Nitish Pahwa has to acknowledge that “RRR is maximum cinema, the kind of in-your-face, colorful, fiery, loud, awe-inspiring experience you really can only get from the movies.”
In his review, Pahwa is concerned over what he calls the “soft-power propaganda” of RRR (which translates as Rise Roar Revolt) . However, to me this seems akin to chastising Hollywood Westerns for not addressing the plight and rights of Native Indians.
I don’t doubt that India’s complex religious and political past has been simplified by director S.S. Rajamouli but this is clearly not a movie which is overly concerned with factual accuracy or social realism. We see the British Raj (boo….hiss) depicted in cartoonishly villainous terms. As the epitome of a corrupt power, these rulers get their comeuppance making a lie of the slogan on the bloodied uniform of the sadistic Governor Scott (Ray Stevenson): “The sun never sets on the British Empire”
The hyperbolic action and improbable stunts make James Bond, Jason Bourne or Hollywood superheroes seem positively lame. Tollywood stars, Ram Charan (Ram) and N.T. Rama Rao Jr.(Bheem) are our two indestructible rebel heroes.
English director Edgar Wright and Marvel directors The Russo Brothers have heaped praise on the movie. They and other Western filmmakers must be kicking themselves for not previously thinking to include any glitzy song and dance sequences in their movies.
The Naatu Naatu number is the obvious highlight in RRR as the two show off some amazing moves to humiliate a boastful Englishman and it’s doubtful that you will see another movie with a song in the middle of brutal flogging.
These moments, together with the extraordinary visual effects, outlandish set pieces and inspired use of CGI generated animals makes RRR an unmissable visual feast.
