RRR review: Spectacularrr enterrrtainerrr

NTR Jr in 'RRR'. Directed by SS Rajamouli, the film released in theatres on March 25, 2022. (Screen grab)

Confession: I usually watch movies alone, and I like it that way. But when watching RRR, take your gang along. Even if the ticket prices have been doubled. (Damn you, theatre wallahs!)

If you were missing Bahubali, look no further. Out of the same stable come not one but two race horses that escape to rule the screen. Ram Charan Teja and NTR Jr are simply wonderrrful.

It’s a fantasy, and the story will make you feel all the emotions you went through when you first went to the movies. As they said, ‘Isme action hai! Emotion hai! Romance hai!’ Except here, we can also add, ‘Deshbhakti hai!’, and for the bhakts, ‘Raam hai! Lankesh hai! Hanuman hai!’

If we got you thinking that S.S. Rajamouli has made another Ramayan, let us course-correct here. No, this is not that kind of bhakti movie. This is a pure ‘deshbhakti’ movie. The villains are the British, and the story is that of Jai and Veeru's ‘yeh dosti’ type heroes who beat the wily Jailor Madan Puri. Nobody becomes Shaheed and you step out from the theatre after watching the first day, first show at 8 am. By the time you finish watching this 3 hours and two minute-long spectacle in 3D, the sun is overhead and unleashing its fury on the unsuspecting public getting out of the theatre.

A couple of meme-worthy spoilers here, but you have never seen so many tropes come together with so much enthusiasm before.

The Eternal Jai And Veeru trope. How can you miss the joyful picture of NTR Jr and Ram Charan Teja riding on a motorbike? Their joy is so effervescent, you will find yourself smiling. And yes, if you like motorbikes, you will sigh with pleasure looking at the vintage machines. Yes, there is an overdose of testosterone when the filmmakers introduce the heroes: Ram Charan Teja taking his frustration out on the teardrop speed punching bag, beating up people in a bull-in-china-shop type intro scene which has the British officer say, ‘I am more afraid of him!’ That’s Ram for you all bhakts! But as you’ve seen in the trailers, Ram works for Ravan!

NTR Jr is Jungle Bheem (just a very telling name if you know the Hanuman and Bheem connection!). That intro is one of the best I have seen, despite the testosterone overdose.

This Jai and Veeru duo has such wonderful chemistry, you did not need a Basanti to break the action. Unfortunately, there is a Sita (Alia Bhatt), and her holier-than-thou act is off-putting - to put it mildly. The more I ‘seeti bajaoed’ (whistle podu!) at the two men in action, I gagged at Sita’s I’m-such-a-good-actor-did-you-see-me-in-Gangubai- expression and the ‘Miss Universe’ wave.

If Ram Charan has fire in his heart (and lots of fiery arrows to burn the British), then Bheem has water. What?! You’ll love it. I promise you. The CGI fire and water hose (don’t miss the snake head on the hose) fight is marrrvellous. The two men make for incredible opponents. Neither will give up and you don’t take sides, because you want the British to not just leave the country and run, but die!

The last time I felt this way was when Bruce the shark was attacking a boat that should have been bigger… You want the stormtroopers to lose to the Jedis, you want Schindler to save the kids, you want Batman to best the Riddler. But Batman won’t kill. But Ram kills the never-ending posse of British soldiers riding motorbikes with the best use of modern tech mixed with old tech in the movies. Boss, I have seen Rambo use those explosive arrows and also Hawkeye’s trick arrows, but this is beyond ordinary physics.

Bheem - not to be left behind - sets an underwater breathing record and comes out bigger and even more awesome than Bo Derek emerging from the ocean. He doesn’t just ride the motorbikes, he even fights with them. You will forget all Rohit Shetty-style exploding cars after you have seen the spectacular jungle fighting.

Thanks to Rajamouli, there is not too much of Yashoda, Kunti or Nandini Raichand (Jaya Bhaduri) waiting for her two sons with an aarti on a platter. Neither are they long lost brothers with matching tattoos. I found the Ram costume a little over the top, but then if the British villain (Ray Stevenson, fills the gigantic hole left behind by Bob Christo) can be seen in full uniform all the time, why can’t we have Ram in a Ram-like dhoti? Sigh. Ram and Bheem are Jedis, but only one has been taught by Yoda.

This Yoda appears in a small role in Ram’s back story. Ajay Devgn is Yoda, teaching his Padwan how to use the lightsaber aka rifle. Why is Ajay Devgn doing these cameo appearances? Nobody knows, but he brings his own brand of training sergeant skills to the jungle. Speaking of jungle, why did they pick Makrand Deshpande... He shows up on the screen and ‘Yu hee chala chal raahi’ begins to play in my head… Alas, the song is drowned by the eardrum-shattering score. The fights, the whiplashes, more fights, the mob scenes, even more fights make you look for a Saridon or something else to numb the blood coming out of your ears.

Yes, there will be lots of scenes of blood pouring out, and I loved them all. It’s a loud, action extravaganza with no pretense. ‘The British need to leave my country’ agenda. Some might hate the unspoken but not too subtle agenda here, but the action overrides all objections. Also a suggestion: since the energetic dance number in the movie suggests, ‘Nacho, nacho!’ I hope you will order nachos with salsa. Lots of cheese is in the corny tale on the big screen!