I vaguely remembered seeing the trailer for the Indian film RRR, which used to be a working title and now stands for Rise Roar Revolt, and I was like, “WTF, this is ridiculous stuff. I have to see!” However, as is the case with my memory, the next moment, distracted, it tripped over a cat toy that was lying on the carpet and fell face down into the plants. In other words: I forgot my enthusiasm that was “on peak” at the moment. Until I read that the “best film of 2022” is getting a sequel and at that moment I couldn’t do anything with the title RRR.
However, I then saw the trailer again and thought to myself “WTF, this is some absurd stuff. I have to see it!” And I’ve now made up for that ^^ The important information is repeated quickly: RRR is getting a sequel! Another important information: You can watch RRR on Netflix, now also with English (okay) dubbing. And then I’ll tell you what fascinated me about RRR – and what didn’t.
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RRR: A rollercoaster of emotions
Visually, RRR is a stunner…unless you’re not a fan of long, miserable slow-motion sequences, I should mention that. There are very, very many of them. Sometimes too many. But most of the time they fit, especially when epic sequences are shown. There are also very, very many of them, as you can see for yourself in the trailer.
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The film is by director SS Rajamouli and thus a path has already been chosen in advance: The film is generally very Indian, or what I, as a cinematic idiot, would describe as “very Indian”. Apart from the fact that it tells a story from the 1920s, in other words from the British colonial era, it contains everything that is Indian cinema in certain doses. There is a lot of singing and dancing, but above all it’s extremely brutal and bloody. Because RRR is an action film and, apart from subplots, has less to do with dancing and singing for the great love that Indian films (aka Bollywood) are best known for in our countries.
I’ll be honest: I don’t remember ever having seen an Indian action film, only love story clothes. But I also want to emphasize that there is not too much singing and even less dancing. And most of the songs have an important meaning for the main story to reinforce the atmosphere and the motivations of the two protagonists. I think the makers of the film did a wonderful job with that.
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RRR: Action without end
The story is roughly as follows: The British (and violent) governor Scott Buxton kidnaps the girl Malli from a forest village for the sake of his equally cold-hearted wife Catherine. Village protector Komaram Bheem, using the alias Akhtar, sets off with his friends to Delhi to bring Malli back. At the same time, the Buxtons find officer Rama Raju among their soldiers. With the prospect of a job as a special officer, he tries to find the person who wants to bring Malli back without knowing who it is on behalf of the Buxtons.
Say: Akthar aka Bheem and Raju are on different sides without knowing it. As luck would have it, a train wreck in Delhi brings Bheem and Raju together and uses their tremendous strength and willpower to save a child. A friendship develops from the shared experiences, without the two being honest with each other. It is only when Bheem is given the opportunity to save Raju’s life that he reveals himself and his cause before setting off to attack the Buxtons’ palace and free Malli. Raju, now understanding that Bheem is his enemy, sets out to stop him.
I won’t reveal more, that would be too much for those who still want to watch RRR. But let me tell you one thing: Despite all the over-the-top action, this film is also really heartbreaking, emotionally gross. Maybe actually my film of the year 2022. Because the actors of Bheem (NT Rama Rao Jr.) and Raju (Ram Charan) in particular are absolutely fantastic.
RRR: A visual splendor
Sometimes the CGI effects in the film are unintentionally funny to a degree, sometimes just plain awesome. If SS Rajamouli has an eye for anything, it’s for a certain epicness, there’s absolutely no denying that. Of course, there are scenes that I think are somehow typically Indian (to my mind). But even the moment when Bheem and Raju meet under the drawbridge after the rescue and STRIDE AT EACH OTHER UNDER THE WATER because they understand that fate has brought them together, that’s just sheer madness. The film is visually and technically beautiful to watch, at least on my OLED TV.
The story might be a bit lame at first, but grabs you at the latest when Raju and Bheem are on the road together. And SS Rajamouli doesn’t anticipate too many of the events that shaped the lives of the two men in the first few minutes. Even after more than an hour and a half of the two and a half hour running time, details from Raju’s past still come to light, which present the soldier, who is initially portrayed as very harsh and dogged, in a multi-faceted way. So in the aftermath, now, almost 24 hours after I saw RRR, I’m sitting here and thinking “wow yes, the film is somehow really bombastic”. I only found him for a little while. But the ending makes up for it all. What a crazy movie!
