Spoilers ahead...
Plot of RRR: A Cinematic Spectacle Inspired by Real-Life Revolutionaries
Set in
the 1920s British India, a young girl Malli from a tribal Gond community in
Adilabad gets abducted and taken to the British Palace in Delhi. The Gond
warrior Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr) disguises himself as a Muslim mechanic
(Akhtar) and is in search of Malli when he confronts a British Indian Policeman
Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan). Their friendship begins while both having no
idea of each other's real identity. They are in their own ways fighting for
independence, against King Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson) and Lady
Scott/Catherine Buxton (Alison Doody).
Rajamouli's Inspirations from Ramayana and Mahabharata
Inspired
by the lives of two real-life revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram
Bheem, Rajamouli builds a narrative with many influences taken from Ramayana
and Mahabharata, creating a fantasy fiction where these two who never met in
real life actually not only meet here but fight against each other too before
eventually teaming up. That's one of the reasons I was able to enjoy the action
knowing these main characters are pretty much like superheroes with great
powers. For instance, it didn't affect me watching Raju, who never used arrows
before, suddenly hit bullseye in the climax, though a childhood scene is set up
to give a small indication of how perfect he can be without practice. And also
how Bheem, with total ease, picks up a motorbike in his hands. I wonder if
Rajamouli did that intentionally to help viewers tone down their thinking about
the over-the-top action or if it was just a case of adding more depth to the
characters. Both ways it works!
Top-Notch Writing: Building Character Arcs for Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr
Told
through parts - The Story, The Fire, and The Water. Each short segment builds
up characters very well. 'The Story' establishes the main plot of Malli, who
gets captured and has to be rescued before she gets harmed in any way. The
final scene ends here with a very haunting background score. 'The Fire' brings
to light the character of Raju, who very much like 'Ramayana's Ram' believes in
following the given orders even if it means going through a large dangerous
mob. And then there's 'The Water' that shows the efficiency and physical power
of Bheem to tackle wild animals, mainly 'Tiger,' who plays a significant role
later on. Also, this helps in scenes when Bheem uses forest 'jadibhooti' ways
to cure Ram when he gets injured.
The
writing is top-notch when we see scenes that aren't there for the sake of it
but rather hold important keys as the story progresses. Like notice the Dosti
song where Bheem is doing pushups holding Raju over his shoulders, that is used
in an innovative action sequence during the final act. Or the scene in the
jungle where Raju writes a letter to Sita, and we see a god statue in the
background, and again in the last act, it's where the transformation of Raju
into God happens.
We also
get to see some well-done twists; for instance, Bheem assuring Sita that he
will bring Raju back to her, is the total opposite of Ramayana, where Hanuman
assures Ram that he will bring Sita back.
Epic Action Sequence: Ram Charan vs N.T. Rama Rao Jr
In his last three films, Rajamouli has already established how effective his storytelling style is, and once again he uses the scale to his advantage where the emotions still take the forefront. The set pieces are more than just the action that's taking place. Both Raju and Bheem get full character arcs, and the scene where they fight against each other is reminiscent of Ironman vs Captain America fight. It's become a popular trope now where you make the audience feel bad watching two main heroes land deep punches on each other when you know they should together be using that energy against the villain.
MM Keeravaani's Music and Background Score in RRR
MM Keeravaani, just like Baahubali, lifts up Rajamouli's storytelling to another level, and I am someone who totally enjoys when a background piece is done so well without trying to manipulate. RRR is full of such instances. The most notable is, of course, the goosebumps-inducing 'Train Accident' scene where the slow 'dara dum dara dum dara dum dum' brings the first meeting of Raju and Bheem, eventually leading to their friendship. That visual of the handshake has already become viral and famous. I love the same theme used in that final act scene too when Bheem is using music to find the solitary cell where Raju is.
Almost
every song is well-used, and they are really good in terms of lyrics too. My
pick is 'Dosti' track by Amit Trivedi (I saw the Hindi version of the movie)
that so brilliantly shows the quickly blossoming friendship of Raju and Bheem,
comparing them to Fire and Water, Rock and Storm, Lightning and Thunder, East
and West, and also there's the fear that their different goals might spoil
their friendship one day. Usually, I would be complaining about how rushed the
bonding is shown with just one montage, but such is the power of visuals with
music in here that you are made to believe how quickly they became close
friends. I think whenever friendship-based songs between two males will be
considered, this track will be right up to the top. I loved it that much. Also,
love the other two versions of Dosti track - Sad and Victorious.
Naatu Naatu is another fantastic track (also Oscar award winner now), though it's a song that appeals to me visually more than the audio. The dance-off that takes place with the Britishers and then between Raju & Bheem and its mad choreography makes this a treat to watch. 'Komuram Bheemudo' is the most emotional track of the movie, which reminded me of 70s patriotic movies where a person would be singing while being smashed all over the body with a whip. The scene was expectedly the toughest one to watch. Also, I love how the song doesn't try to just let the pain of Bheem out, but also how it affects the perspective of Raju, not just as a friend but his beliefs change when he sees the impact of Bheem's song on the gathered crowd.
Underutilized Characters like Alia Bhatt, and Over-the-Top Action
RRR isn't
without flaws though. It may have got labeled as a spectacle which quite
frankly it is, but at the same time, I wouldn't call it a masterpiece and won't
rate it above Baahubali. I felt Alia Bhatt's character was very poorly used in
the narrative, and the meeting scene of Bheem-Seetha felt more of a convenience
rather than organic. The other major issue I had was with the villain; sure, we
see glimpses of Scott being exploitative, but there could have been more of his
involvement in the finale. Or at least Lady Scott, who we see cruelly asking
for more blood from Bheem in the public flogging scene, she could have played
an extra part before meeting her expected wild death. In her own words, I
missed 'the pool of blood', and the end of Scott happens rather too quickly. In
short, the final 15 mins felt very underwhelming.
The end
credits was another letdown which gave a feeling of 'Did I just switch to a
Farah Khan movie?' I have seen the film many times and always end up skipping
that end credits song. There are 1-2 instances when the action goes way too
over the top to digest, like when Rajamouli is too eager to show Fire vs Water
in that Palace animal attack sequence that we literally see firecrackers and
water pipes themselves having a go at each other. Thoda jyada ho gaya yeh!
Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr in RRR are Exceptional
Both Ram Charan and NT Rama Rao Jr have given great performances; I can't really pick the best out of them. I love when we see Raju torn between his friendship and the goal of his life when he learns the truth about Akhtar's real identity. And the moment when NTR Rao Jr feels deep anger towards Raju with the rage in his eyes suggesting how hurt he felt at the interval scene. Also, I like how the entire forest angle is used perfectly in NTR Rao Jr's attack over the palace as he unleashes the animals at the Britishers.
Ajay Devgn's Cameo and Shreya Saran's Role
Good to
see Ajay Devgn nail the cameo with such ease. Can't help but get emotional
during the scene when he forces Ram to 'Load, Aim, Shoot' when he just lost two
of his family members. Shreya Saran does feel wasted in an almost nothing role.
Maybe she just wanted to be part of this special movie.
Verdict on RRR
Overall,
RRR may not be a masterpiece for me, but I still enjoyed it more than most
movies of 2022. Rajamouli knows how to handle a multi-starrer, and with good
music and great performances, he delivers a movie which I will revisit again
for the action and emotions in it.
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