Director
SS Rajamouli
Cast
Jr. NTR, Ram Charan, Ray Stevenson, Olivia Morris, Alison Doody, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Samuthirakani
What’s It About
‘RRR’ follows the early lives of Komaram Bheem (played by Jr. NTR) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (played by Ram Charan). The story traces the early stages of their independence movement against the British regime.
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What’s Hot
There is no doubt that the movie rests more on the laurels of director SS Rajamouli’s grand presentation than anything else. He lives up to the expectations and delivers. Every scene is beautifully shown on screen. There are a few high points of the film that will never disappoint you – the river rescue scene, the introduction scenes of the two stars, the stupendous cameo by Ajay Devgn, the dance duel in ‘Naacho Naacho’ song and Ram Charan’s fight sequence with bow and arrows. These all have a stamp of Rajamouli’s last blockbuster ‘Baahubali’ and these scenes will remind you of the grandeur of those two films.
The cinematography is what needs the maximum praise. The film’s grandness comes from that. And there are numerous slow-motion shots with a thumping background score that draws you into the story. Also, the chase sequence shots have been so perfectly done that you actually feel that you’re running next to the actor.
Ram Charan and Jr NTR carry the film on their shoulders really well. It’s their bonding that makes the story come alive. Their entry scenes are the highlights, and you won’t get bored seeing those entries even after you see in 5 times. It’s not that they’re doing something great, but the way they’re presenting even a simple dialogue makes the performance look even more heavyweight.
The music by MM Keeravani also needs to be applauded. The ‘Naacho Naacho’ song is a perfect celebratory one that compels you to stand up in the theatres and start dancing to the beats or whistling seeing the sheer energy of the Ram Charan and Jr NTR.
What’s Not
If there is one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb in ‘RRR’ is the lack of a story. This seems like a part of a bigger story, and therefore you are left wanting for more things to follow, but sadly, the movie ends at that juncture.
Rajamouli has claimed that the film is based on the lives of Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju but not much is shown about them. The film relies heavily on the very early stages of why the two became a part of the Indian independence movement, and how their friendship came to life. Even the way their friendship comes to life is a bit too quick. Like they’re rank strangers and within five minutes they’re best of friends who can give their lives for each other. Also, blame it on the dubbing if you’ve to, but half of the movie Jr. NTR is calling Ram Charan ‘bhai’ and the rest half as ‘anna’.
While the VFX is spot on and very smooth in most of the places, there are still a few patches in the representation where you can see that the makers have tried too hard and yet failed. For instance, in the ‘Naacho Naacho’ song, while most of it has been shot on location, there are still a couple of shots that have been taken on a green screen just to ensure that the two actors match every dance movement to perfection. In a film of such huge expectations, such small things stick out and spoil your viewing experience.
While on one side you’ve Ajay Devgn who makes a small cameo stand out as one of the highlights of the film, on the other side you’ve Alia Bhatt’s cameo that seems unworthy of her talent. As in, it could have been done by anyone, and it looks like Bhatt was brought on board just to get in the north Indian eyeballs.
Verdict
The film’s grand representation is what makes this a Must Watch. The scale on which SS Rajamouli has set it ensures that you would love it when you see it in theatres. It makes the experience of theatre-viewing come back to life. To add to that, there’s the amazing onscreen chemistry of the two leads which ensures that you’re going to have a good time. I am going with 3.5 stars.
