Everything You Should Know About "RRR" —The Movie That You Need Right Now

"It's an unapologetic relationship between two friends" —S. S. Rajamouli

To paraphrase The Dark Knight, S. S. Rajamouli's RRR may not be the movie we deserve, but it's the movie we need right now!

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With so many remakes, sequels, and rehashes out there, RRR is a refreshing palate cleanser for film goers eager for something original. RRR is an epic Indian action drama film, featuring two revolutionaries, their friendship, and their fight against the oppressive British Raj in the 1920s.

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I attended a Q&A event with brilliant director S. S. Rajamouli, and when asked what he would want the American viewing audience to know about RRR...

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...he thought for a bit, then replied, "It is an unapologetic relationship between two friends."

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RRR is many things, but "unapologetic" may be the best word to describe this insane movie. RRR pulls no punches. In what other film do you get a historical fiction bromance, public floggings, government overthrow, man vs. tiger, and…it’s also a musical?

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Well, that is the outrageous, heartfelt, explosively great cinematic experience that is RRR! If you are not familiar with the film, or you already love it like me and just want to know more, keep reading for all the behind the scenes info you need right now.

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There aren't really spoilers ahead, but even if there are, nothing will compare to watching the 3-hour film anyway. Preferably in a theater with an audience, you won't regret it.

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1. So, what does the title RRR mean anyway?

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Originally a working title, RRR is an abbreviation for Rajamouli, Ram Charan, and Rama Rao; the director and lead actors, respectively. The tentative title RRR was eventually confirmed to be the film's official title, as Rajamouli felt that a universal title across the languages was essential for a film of such scale.

Further, the filmmakers invited Rajamouli fans to come up with their own abbreviation interpretation for the title. Titles with similar sentiments poured in, and eventually Raudraṁ Raṇaṁ Rudhiraṁ won out. Translated from Telugu to English: Rise Roar Revolt.

2. The characters are based on actual Indian freedom fighters.

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American audiences may watch this outrageous film and have no idea that it is based (somewhat) on actual people. The two lead characters, Ram/Raju (Ram Charan) and Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) are the director's interpretation of historical Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, respectively. The two men never met in reality, but there were many coincidences surrounding their lives at that time that inspired the filmmakers to ask: What if they had met and became friends?!

Though most of the events of the film are invented for the purpose of cinematic drama and action, the archetypes of these men are borrowed from the pages of history.

3. Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds helped inspire the film.

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*Spoiler Alert for Inglourious Basterds!*

In the Q&A, director and co-writer S. S. Rajamouli said that his film was inspired by the revisionist history that Tarantino wrote into his WWII film.

"When I was watching the film and when Hitler was suddenly shot, it blew me away! We knew Hitler didn't die that way, and it suddenly opened my eyes. Okay, we are making a fictional story. We don't need to stick to historical accuracies."

This way of thinking allowed him to tell a totally fictitious story about real people.

4. RRR is the most expensive Indian movie ever made.

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Made on a budget of ₹550 crore ($72 million US), RRR is the most expensive Indian film to date.  

5. RRR broke the record for the highest opening-day box office.

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RRR earned ₹240 crore ($30 million US) worldwide on its first day alone, breaking the record for the highest opening day for an Indian film.

6. The director thought of the dance scene like an action sequence.

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"The biggest issue is how the song comes into the film without breaking the narrative," Rajamouli explained about the dance sequence featuring the pounding "Naatu Naatu." "For any other Indian film, it is very easy to incorporate a dance sequence." 

But how do you make these freedom fighter characters dance, and seamlessly weave it into the story? 

Rajamouli evolved it from a simple dance into a competition.

By the time the song starts, the audience already wants our two heroes to do something to show up the bad guys. In most cases, a threat from the opposition could be followed up with a fight or action sequence, but in this case, it turns into an impromptu dance contest.

7. Some of the film was shot in Ukraine, though they were on the brink of war.

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When Rajamouli set his sites on a key location in Ukraine, which just so happened to be the presidential palace, the locals were more than happy to oblige. According to the director, the Ukrainian crew was "always smiling and always helpful" and did not let on that anything like war might be brewing in the background. Of course, looking back at those scenes is bittersweet. "I still feel sadness for all the people we worked with in Ukraine."

8. How can these characters survive such outrageous events?

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"If the characters believe they can do these superhuman acts, then the audience should believe, too," Rajamouli explained.

No matter how outrageous the action scenes may be, there still needs to be an emotional drive with the characters.

9. The musical score is "east meets west."

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The basic tune of the score is based on Indian culture, but the instruments that composer M. M. Kreem uses are mainly western, allowing the music to feel familiar to a US audience, while staying true to its Indian roots. It also reinforces the yin-yang of the heroes' fire and water characteristics.

10. It took over 300 days to complete filming.

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Like many films, RRR was heavily affected by COVID-19, halting the production on a number or occasions. In the end, it took over 300 days to complete the shooting of the film. Approximately 75 of those days were allotted just for the action sequences alone.

By comparison, Apocalypse Now, one of the longest and most extended shoots in cinema history, had 238 days of principal photography.

11. American audiences might recognize some familiar faces.

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Though the Indian cast are the real stars of the show, American viewers may notice a few familiar faces as the empirical oppressors.

Ray Stevenson plays the British Raj administrator. You may recognize him from Dexter, Black Sails, or HBO's Rome.

His sadistic wife is played by former Bond girl and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade's Alison Doody.

12. Bruce Lee is Rajamouli’s greatest influence.

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Rajamouli said he had many favorite actors and directors while growing up, but there was one that stood out. "The only pin-up poster I ever had in my room was Bruce Lee. I admired him so much," he admitted. Mostly because of the way he used his martial arts to express emotion. That seems evident when you witness the unique action sequences that Rajamouli brings to his film. 

13. Social media helped the movie explode in the USA.

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Though Rajamouli says he made the film for an Indian audience, he and his team are surprised and grateful at the positive reception it has had in the United States. In part thanks to enthusiastic people emulating RRR's "Naatu Naatu" dance on TikTok and Instagram, the film began to get more and more recognized by American audiences.

Social media posts got people's attention, and when more screenings became available, RRR was shown to constantly sold-out crowds. Now that it is available on Netflix, the fanbase is becoming larger and more vocal.

14. RRR is heading into awards season.

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Ironically, though wildly popular throughout the world, RRR did not get chosen as India's official submission for the Academy Awards. Not taking matters sitting down, the filmmakers decided to instead start their own FYC campaign for all the other Oscar categories, including Best Picture.

Maybe a long shot, but it's not unheard of for a popular non-English language film to take home the gold; remember the amazing film Parasite that won Best Picture just a few years ago?

15. There is a sequel in the works.

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The director says his co-writer and father, V. Vijayendra Prasad, has a great idea for the follow-up. But since Rajamouli already has another project lined up, it may be some time before RRR2 or RRRR or SSS will hit theaters.  

We have barely scratched the surface, but that should be enough to pique your interest about RRR for now.

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This is one of the few MUST-watch movies of 2022. I highly recommend you see it on the big screen, but since screenings may be hard to find in your area, thankfully, it is streaming on Netflix. Watch it loud and preferably with a friend.

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