RRR Movie Review

Multistarrers are not new in Indian films, but a star director who never had a failure so far joining forces with two of the biggest stars in the Telugu film industry is immense without a doubt. Right from the announcement till the release date, RRR is enjoying a huge craze among the audience all over. Now the movie is hitting the screens today, after changing the release date from January 7th and with multiple hurdles even before that.

The RRR trailer has many goosebumps moments and is full movie appears to be having many more of them. Both Ram Charan and NTR seem to have given their full potential, while the potential star cast like Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, and others support them. Post Baahubali, the mention of collections in Telugu has changed with terms like ‘Non-Baahubali record’. Well, we have to see if Rajamouli breaks all the existing records and more than that. Let us also see if his vision and creation with RRR impress the audience more than that of Baahubali, to remain his finest work.

The movie is hitting the screens today with US Premieres first. Let us walk into the review.

What Is It About?

Set in the 1920s, a gond tribal girl Malli gets taken away by the Britishers, the then rulers of India. Bheem (NTR) lands in Delhi in disguise as Akhtar to take her back to the tribe. Raju (Ram Charan) works as a police officer in the British empire for a bigger cause, gets into the hunt for Bheem. The two men with different aims find their paths crossed and become friends. Will Bheem be able to bring Malli back and what will Raju do after finding that he is hunting for his best friend? What is Raju’s story? The answers to these questions are all about RRR, Roudram Ranam Rudhiram.

Performances

To start with, both Ram Charan and NTR have competed with each other in giving the best performances to date. Their meeting, confrontational scenes together are completely new and exciting for the audience. It is needless to say how Rajamouli makes his actors look well built, but the emotions and the body language are so well given by the actors.

Ram Charan evolved as one of the best performers with RRR. He looks tack sharp and keen in every frame. Ram Charan amazes us with his selfish tough man nature at one point, while he equally surprises us by telling his inside thoughts with his subtle performance at the other. He so blends in the role of Rama Raju, that we get to adore him more after RRR.

NTR already proved himself as a great performer many a time earlier. But RRR gives us a chance to witness a new dimension in him. NTR entertains us in a rugged role this time and he is flawless in it. Right from the introduction scene till the end, NTR keeps the intensity bar up and above. NTR is at his best in Komuram Bheemudo song than any other.

Alia Bhatt appears as Seetha. Though her role is short, she did fine. Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, and Rahul Ramakrishna did fine in their respective roles. Olivia Morris did quite well as a kind British woman. Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody appear as Scot Duxton and Catherine Duxton respectively. They excelled in their roles as crooked and vicious British lords.

Technicalities

RRR is technically brilliant and the efforts taken in putting the small details perfect could be seen in each and every frame of the movie.

To applaud the cinematography, there are many to list down but to mention a few, we have to go for the shots like the water reflection shots at Bheem’s intro, Raju and Bheem riding the horse and bike, Raju Bheem meeting scenes, the references with fire and water all through the movie, the climax action scenes, etc. Action scenes in interval and the climax are okay.

The background music by Keeravani is apt for RRR and there are many scenes where the BGM goes on par with the scene towards elevating it multiple folds. All the songs are well pictured, while Komaram Bheemudo and Naatu Naatu remain the best.

So is the choreography of Prem Rakshith for the Naatu Naatu song, where the shuffle steps in the song are a treat to watch on the big screen. The feet were literally flying in the song and this naatu naatu beats all the tango, swing, and flamenco for sure.

Thumbs Up

Ram Charan & NTR
Rama Raju & Bheem Introduction Scenes
Naatu Naatu Song

Thumbs Down

Wafer-thin Story
Slow in parts of Second half

Analysis

A pure fictional concept of two real rebels Alluri Seetha Rama Raju and Komuram Bheem meeting in Delhi under different circumstances and befriending each other before they actually become what they are is the story of RRR.

The idea of ‘what if’ the two real men from the past met each other though nobody knows if they did ever, itself is a brownie. While the story is completely new and exciting already, the best thing Rajamouli did was choose Ram Charan and NTR as his leading men. Rajamouli did his thing and everything else obviously fell in place. The plot could have been deeper than it is., but the presence of two terrific actors and their full-on performances are the selling points here.

Coming to the making, Rajamouli knows where the highs and lows should exactly be. Right from the establishment of the story and moving on to the introduction of the two heroes, Rajamouli did fine work. The introduction scene of Ram Charan as a point-blank police officer who becomes a juggernaut in the same scene is accurate. The reflection of Rama Raju’s aggression is shown in the dialogue of a British officer, who says, ‘He scares me more than the mob’. Also, Bheem’s intro scene with a face-to-face of a tiger is perfect and is sure to give goosebumps.

The establishment scenes of Raju and Bheem are shot well. The whole episode of Raju and Bheem meeting each other to save a boy is entirely a visual delight. From the friendship to the Naatu Naatu song, Rama Raju’s ongoing search to Bheem’s entry in Scott’s House, the first half is very well structured and packed.

The Interval block remains the highlight with an electrified action episode where the real clash between the fire and the water can be felt. This fight with two equally powerful men fighting for their own causes has emotion and intensity within it. Except that the interval block could have been better if focused more on Rama Raju and Bheem locking horns than on the animal chaos. On whole, the first half is a full-point scorer.

Handling the superstars in one film is a daunting task and Rajamouli did it with ease. The director balanced the lengths and weights of both the roles, though they are completely different from each other. In a way, Ram Charan climbs a step up and only with the help of NTR himself. The dialogue where Bheem says ‘Nenu Malli Kosam Vachanu, Rama Raju Matti Kosam Vachadu’, says a lot.

The second half takes off at a slow pace with the flash back of Rama Raju wherein Ajay Devgan and Shriya show up. The episode of Ajay Devgn can be predicted. Though the passing of the baton from Venkata Rama Raju to his son is clear, his word with his people and the bonding with Seetha appear a little hurried and not established properly. The bond of love and sacrifice between Raju and Seetha could not be felt well at the later point too. Though Alia Bhatt did her part well, the scenes of her somehow appear disconnected and a bit away from natural.

While Ram Charan steals the show as a determined police officer working for the British, NTR grabs the spotlight with his marvelous spectacle in the song Komuram Bheemudo. NTR gives his stellar performance in the song, pushing the scene of importance to many levels higher. Well, the escape scenes of Komaram Bheem seem somewhat obvious and so are the revelations by Seetha later.

Rajamouli’s style of narrative needs a praise for the flashback episode. The director breaks it into two parts while the second part is later narrated by Seetha. The technique of keeping surprises for the second half deserves a mention.

The slow pace ends thereafter and the burning moments keep up with the pre-climax and the climax too. The action episode of Bheem liberating Rama Raju from the solitary cell is a little overboard, but the duo invading the British forces with strength and dominance keeps us thrilled. In the climax, there is no real need to show the scenes where they hand over the guns to all the people. The word will be kept by Rama Raju and we all know that.

The RRR has breathtaking action scenes, arresting visuals that make us feel the intensity of the story, while it has its drawbacks like some predictable scenes. On the whole, RRR boils your blood, wets your eyes, and gives you goosebumps with some slow-but-not-dull scenes in the second half. Overall, RRR is a bRRRilliant and teRRRific portRRRayal of two patRRRiotic characters and their fictional fRRRiendship with wondeRRRful performances of Jr ntRRR and RRRam Charan.

Bottom Line: PoweRRRful Ram – ImpRRRessive Bheem

Rating: 3.25/5