RRR review

In fact, this idea—of grand scope and scale—is at the heart of RRR, even as two freedom fighters (Komaram Bheem and Rama Raju) are reimagined as larger-than- ...

As a side-note, it’s hard not to be slightly alarmed at all the romanticisation of violence around the freedom struggle, especially given the part ahimsa played in our history. Later, he even admits to his simplicity and is ashamed of it, and goes on to express a type of devotion for Ram. That’s why ‘Bhaiya’ turns to ‘Anna’. That’s why in one scene, he even invokes Lanka and says that he will reunite Ram and Sita even if the whole place had to be burned down. If you blink a bit, you may miss Shriya Saran. As for Alia Bhatt, she is another docile woman, desperately pining for the return of her beloved—the sort to stand alone and stare into the horizon, waiting for her dream warrior to return. Yes, Rajamouli thinks up increasingly clever ways to spice up action (arrows being shot with attached grenades, for instance), but it gets harder and harder not to notice that while your senses are tingling with repetitive pleasures, your soul is left untouched and craves for more.. Tell him that the scene is of a man climbing a tree, and he will ensure that you are thrilled by the visual of an extraordinary man climbing an extraordinary tree in an extraordinary circumstance. The compassionate British damsel™ that Bheem falls in love with, is the classic naïve beauty we have seen time and time again—the sort of woman who would be oblivious to events around her, even as she invites hapless victims into her palace and seeks quick forgiveness when they get humiliated or threatened with death. The writing of this film is by Vijayendra Prasad, who we know by now as a lover of mythology. Ram’s flashback feels quick and uninventive, and without it, the film relies largely on the volatile Bheem-Ram friendship, which, too, gets largely defined by unsurprising montages. Weapon acquisition, on the other hand, isn’t exactly the most emotional idea out there, and so, he looks to overcome it with a flashback that is unfortunately hurried and cursory. Watch him sink the thorny edges of his whip into Bheem’s body, by communicating just the right balance of duty and emotion in his eyes. This acts as a catalyst for his wonderful imagination with which he thinks up some memorable set-pieces, built on the idea of fire and water. These portions stand as examples of this filmmaker’s eye for grand set-pieces and his ability to execute what must surely seem like daunting ideas on paper.