It’s once again awards season for the movie industry, and within one week we’ve had two of the biggest ceremonies in cinema: the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics’ Choice Awards. Both ceremonies featured a number of notable big wins, such as Michelle Yeoh taking home the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Movie Musical/Comedy, and Brendan Fraser winning the Best Actor award at the Critics’ Choice. However, underneath all the buzz and reception, there’s one award winner that’s been flying somewhat under the radar compared to other winners, and that would be S. S. Rajamouli’s “RRR.” 

The film was not only a massive success domestically in India, where it grossed 969 crore (equivalent to roughly $118 million U.S dollars) and became the third highest-grossing Indian film according to the Hindustan Times, but it also gained some considerable attention in the west, with the film winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Critics’ Choice Awards for both Best Song and Best Foreign Language Film, and currently being nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song. What is it about “RRR” that generated so much buzz, and what impact could its success and attention leave on the future of cinema?
For those who haven’t seen the film, there’s some things you should know about “RRR.” The film is an action-drama-musical-comedy presented in the Telugu language (making it a Tollywood film, not a Bollywood film), it’s over three hours long, and it’s absolutely filled with some of the most over-the-top action scenes and song numbers in any movie you’ll ever see. And, despite being one of the most insane movies I’ve ever seen in my life, it actually manages to be really, really good. 

If I had to choose a word to describe this film, it would be “balanced.” It’s constantly jumping back and forth between intense, jaw droppingly impossible action, genuinely weightful drama, and unrestrained fun and goofiness, and yet it never focuses on any one of these elements so much that the others feel out of place, nor do any of them come in at inappropriate times. Its unique blend of ridiculous fun and serious drama manage to coexist without being tonally dissonant. 

I’m not sure which aspect of the film is responsible for that effect: Is it the perfect pacing? The likable characters? The wonderfully emotional lead performances from actors NTR Jr. and Ram Charan? More than likely, it’s all of them combined. It’s a film that’s just so charming that you can’t help but buy into all of its borderline-cartoonish insanity. Yes, one of the main characters may be battling a tiger barehanded and winning while the other fights through a thousand people single-handedly and both come out on top, but are you really going to tell me you didn’t have fun while watching it?

All of this comes packaged in a satisfying plot about rising up against colonial oppression that wraps up perfectly by the end, making sure to conclude itself with one last high-production song number, just for memorability’s sake. I absolutely loved my time with “RRR,” and I highly encourage more western viewers to take three hours out of their evening and watch it. If you’re one of those moviegoers who’s able to suspend disbelief and let a movie go wildly all-out, I can’t think of many experiences more fun than “RRR.”

So with such glowing praise coming from critics and a significant showing at U.S. film festivals, what does this mean for the future of not just Indian cinema, but U.S. cinema as well? Hopefully, it’ll lead to collaborations between big names in both industries. With actor Ram Charan stating he wants to take part in overseas projects and composer M. M. Keeravani expressing excitement on Twitter at meeting director James Cameron, it’s possible these two industries may finally converge in a way never before seen in cinema. If any film were able to bring together these two massive industries, it most certainly would be a movie like “RRR,” one that pulls out all the stops and demands attention. If you’re up for a good evening, I can’t think of any better or more fun way to spend it this film season than by grabbing a group of friends and enjoying the experience that is RRR.