The closest American equivalent I can think of to RRR—a Tollywood (Telugu-language) action epic from Indian director S.S. Rajamouli—are those winky-dink Old Spice deodorant commercials in which muscular men performed exaggeratedly masculine feats against shamelessly virtual backgrounds. RRR ups the ante, adding exploding trains, an exuberant dance number, and wolves, and tigers, and (I think I saw this during one of the many wild set pieces) an attacking deer. It also has more serious subject matter than male hygiene. Set in the 1920s, the movie opens with the kidnapping of a small village girl by a British governor and his wife, who toss a few coins at the mother for her trouble. (When she protests, she’s brutally killed.) To rescue the girl, the villagers send Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.), who poses as a lowly repairman while he tries to devise a way into the governor’s Delhi complex. Standing in his way is Raju (Ram Charan Teja), an Indian who has pledged loyalty to the British Empire and serves in the colonialist security force. RRR’s best (and dare I say Old Spiciest) section is its middle stretch, when Bheem and Raju—who don’t yet know each other—meet cute by teaming up to rescue a boy trapped beneath the bridge on which that train explodes. Communicating via hand signals and hard stares, the two swing through the air on ropes like burly trapeze artists. This is followed by an amusingly absurd friendship montage that culminates with Bheem doing squats while Raju sits on his shoulders, a move that will come in handy later on. The action choreography is impressive throughout, though the extensive use of CGI considerably lowers the physical stakes, as is the case in the worst Marvel movies. (At some point, I’d rather just be watching a cartoon.) While the movie’s heightened style continues, the mood considerably sours once the men discover each other’s true identities. Torture and gun worship ensue, as RRR twists its way into a complicated story of redemption and revolution. I’d say the movie is a lot, but you’d need way more than those four letters to cover it.
(10/21/2022)
