RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) explodes like a movie sensatioin! It is a part historical epic, intense, superheroic, action film, mythological, dramatic, comedy, romance with the finest dancing and singing necessary for a Tollywood movie. The film was originally in the Telugu language and the popular Tollywood films from South Eastern India. S.S. Rajamouli is the film’s director and screenwriter. His first film in the Baahubali films started with Baahubali: The Beginning (2015). V. Vijayendra Prasad provided the story and also with Rajamouli on Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. There is a disclaimer at the beginning that the setting of “pre-independent India” is true all of the rest is largely fictional. The second one notes that no animals were harmed in the filming and that they were all computer-generated. The Netflix showing has all of the thanks and companies and then some dedications. The credits resolve to the three R’s surrounded by clouds of fire and water going to “The Story.”
We see a misty forest, “Adilabad Forest”, India, 1920, and then a line of cars next to a hut. The villagers and British soldiers watch as we see Catherine (Alison Doody), she is known for playing Elsa Schneider in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), here she is more ruthless. There is a young girl, Malli (Twinkle Sharma), singing and making a mehndi design on Catherine’s hand with a peacock feather. This is also watched by Edward (Edward Sonnenblick). Malli calls over her mother, Loki (Ahmareen Anjum), and ends her song. Then, dogs are heard barking. Several bloody deers are carried to the village and behind the porters is the Governor Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson), riding on his horse with his rifle. Stevenson played Volstagg in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), he has a brutal rule over the population. Catherine brings Malli to the governor and then asks her husband that she wants the “little package” at their home. Govenor Scott has Edward throw two coins at the family.
Loki is told it for the apprecation of her daughter’s song and picks them up. Catherine takes away Malli and Loki realizes that the coins were for her daughter! She runs up to the car and pleads for Malli. A sergeant is about to shoot Loki in the head when Govenor Buxton tells him that the cost of a bullet is too much for an Indian woman, the racism is intense. The sergeant instead picks up a tree branch and bashes the head of Loki! Malli watches as the car passes the bloody Loki with coins in her hand. Then the “R” turns to “The Fire” title card. We then see hills and crowds of people on the “Outskirts of Delhi” at the Anangpur Police Outpost. They are rioting for the capture of their leader, Lala Lajpat Rai, while the soldiers stand quietly at attention. An effigy is set aflame. An officer, DSP Philip Green (Richard Bhakti Klein) is on the phone asking for reinforcements. The barbed wire fences are rocked forward by the crowd. The Indian police officers fall down except one, Alluri Rama Raju (Ram Charan). A man in a red turban throws a rock that shatters a photo, the commanding officer orders his arrest.
Ram drops his hat and then runs forward with his long baton. He leaps off a barrel over the fence and then in slo mo, starts battering the crowd! The people mob him, strikes him repeatedly, and the man is confident. Ram is struck in the head with a rock and gang piled by the crowd. He starts breaking hands, slams the baton on feet, and crawls towards his target. The red-turbaned man starts to run until he reaches a cliff. Ram notices a cattle pen and runs through it to leap on a wooden tower. It starts to break under the weight of the men trying to scale it and then Ram leaps to the cliff. He is surrounded by men, but pushes the group back to the edge of the cliff! The men in front fall, crack their heads and bodies against the rocky cliff. Ram pushes several men with him off the cliff using their bodies to cushion the impacts! He grabs red turban and begins using his baton to hit the men, clearing a way to the station. Ram is gang piled again and manages to kick down the burning effigy! He kicks the rest of the debris on fire towards the crowd.
A gate is opened, red turban man and Ram, enter. He grunts and stumbles his way to water buckets marked “Fire”, and splashes himself a few times. Ram grabs his baton and the crowd disperses under his baleful stare taking their wounded! At the special officer’s ceremony at the “British Barracks, Delhi”, three candidates are chosen, only British officers leaving Ram alone. Later, he takes his rage out at the punching bag, striking a hole in it! Then, we get “The Water.” In his office, Edward is met by Venkat Avadhani (Rajeev Kanakala), advisor to the Nizam. He is told about Governor Scott taking the little girl and their police department suggests that the girl be returned. Venkat explains that the Gond people are peaceful, but they have a protector. A shepherd that will not stop until the little lamb is returned to the herd and he is going to Delhi. Then, we get the “Forest Outside Delhi.” We see a man down to his shorts, the shot turns from his reflection to him, as he pours a bowl of blood on his head. Beautiful cinematography by K.K. Senthil Kumar. He worked with Rajamouli on the Baahubali movies.
This is the introduction of Bheem (NT. Rama Rao Jr.), man of the jungle, innocent to the ways of the city. Yes, I’m thinking Tarzan. Men in trees have set a trap and call out to Bheem. Through the foliage, is a growling. Bheem sees the wolf emerge and starts to run. The wolf chases after him. He swings on a vine and then sees a large pawprint. A tiger is moving in the tall grass! It leaps at him, Bheem angles his body away, and the wolf collides with the tiger. Bheem starts to run as the tiger chases away the wolf. He slides on the forest floor holding up the sharp edge of a tree branch. The tiger shatters it and is thrown backwards! Bheem leaps past a pile of leaves and scrambles backwards as the rope trap pulls up the tiger! He sees the links holding the rope trap and grabs for them as the tiger claws him! Bheem leaps and dodges the tiger as he brings the links together. The tiger is dragged back, then the ropes snap, it is free! Bheem gets a bowl from one of his helpers and throws it shattering a green powder on the tiger’s face.
He lifts up the tiger(!) as it claws his back, and then collapses from the sleeping powder. Bheem apologizes to the tiger saying he needs him for a purpose. They have been searching Delhi for six months. Bheem puts on a white cap, long shirt, and pants to enter the city. He is working at a repair shop when a British officer, Robert, thinks his motorcycle doesn’t work. When Bheem easily starts it with the proper setting, Robert’s girlfriend laughs, and in turn he starts lashing Bheem. He has taken the beating to hide his identity and protect the others sheltering him. At police headquarters, Edward debriefs the assembled officers, and they agree to find the hunter. Edward also says they have no file on him. Catherine announces that if he is caught, the person will be promoted to special officer. Ram volunteers. He later tells an aide that he will infiltrate the groups to find the target. Outside of the governor’s mansion, a soldier is checking the clay identification badge, Baheem watches this security check.
The officer starts to beat the man, Baheem is about to interfere, but a British woman, Jenny (Olivia Morris), stops the officer. Baheem is stunned at her kindness and beauty. Jenny drives into the mansion gates. He tells the others that she might be the way to get inside the mansion. At a revolutionary meeting, Ram says they should just go after the governor. Lacchu (Rahul Ramakrishna), an ally of Baheem, thinks that Ram could help them. He leads Ram to a check point. An officer takes his i.d. and salutes him so Lacchu starts to run. Ram chases after him, but loses him in a crowded street a la Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). This pans up the Yamuna River and past a bridge. Ram uses the bridge as a vantage point to find Lacchu. Pan across the bridge to a pylon, Bheem gives a boy coins to catch a fish. Lacchu runs up to Bheem and tells him he was chased by a policeman. We cut between Bheem and Ram, both men dedicated to their missions. A train leaking fuel is traveling underneath the bridge. The conductor reaches a stopping point and sparks from the brakes ignite the fuel! The boy, fishing in a thatched bowl, watches the burning train fall. It explodes sending the boy into the water. Bheem wants to help and Ram gestures for him to get to the bridge.
Bheem jumps on a motorcycle as Ram gets some rope from a cart. Ram mounts a horse and rides it with the rope behind him. They ride towards each other, Ram picks up the Vande Mataram, meaning "I praise to motherland, Mother", flag, they turn and then leap off the bridge! Ram drags the flag across the water, Bheem grabs the boy's arm, and then throws the boy to Ram. He is also thrown the flag. Ram drops off the boy to the river bank, swings back, and Bheem emerges from the flames wrapped in the flag. They reach out for each other’s arms, a symbol of the movie! Ram says his name is Raju and Bheem says he is Akhtar. We see the movie’s title(!) and then a song of friendship between a volcano and a storm! Later, we see Jennifer (Olivia Morris) whom Bheem falls for her kindness and beauty. It's a bit awkward and a little funny since Bheem can't understand English, it is a Tarzan and Jane situation. She is also the innocent niece of Governor Scott and his key to finding Malli. Plus she is part of the best song and dance scene in the movie for "Naatu Naatu"! We also see Ram’s wife, Sita (Alia Bhatt), she has a half-moon shaped necklace. This is just the beginning of RRR (Rise Roar Revolt) which is an epic, fictional history movie that is also mythical with stunning action, visual spectacle enhanced with CGI, drama, comedy, and romance and memorable music including some Tollywood song and dance numbers!
Five Half-Moon Necklaces out of Five!
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