Bollywood has finally peaked. The sentimentalism, chirpy musical numbers, physics-defying fight scenes and aggressively cheesy romantic plots have all come into their own in RRR, one of the biggest Bollywood hits in recent memory to gain an international audience. I would normally object to individual elements of the movie, including its ludicrous storyline and plot holes. But the way they have come together is strangely fascinating.
RRR, which is short for “Rise, Roar, Revolt” and must be one of the dullest film titles ever, is the story of 1920s India as it struggles under the yoke of British rule. But RRR is not that interested in history. It is a fantasy that uses a particular period in Indian history as inspiration to tell an imagined, highly patriotic tale about resisting subjugation and realising national unity.
The film revolves around two protagonists, based on real-life revolutionary leaders, that are introduced to us in spectacular fashion. The first is Raju (Ram Charan), a police officer working for the British Raj. When thousands of enraged Indian protestors are about to break into one of the colonialists’ enclaves, he jumps over a fence and takes on waves of human beings using nothing but a baton. And he basically wins.
The second protagonist, Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr), lives in a rural part of India, engaging in feats that require him to outrun and eventually wrestle with an adult tiger. He also wins his battle.
The two are brought together by fate. A small girl from Bheem’s village is abducted and taken to the British governor of India’s mansion in Delhi. Bheem, the warrior that he is, is tasked with finding her and bringing her back home. When the British find out that he has arrived in Delhi, they set loose a warrior of their own, Raju, who seems more interested in advancing his career as an officer than the well-being of India. The cat-and-mouse game transforms, though, bringing together two of India’s legendary revolutionaries to participate in heroic feats of defiance.
