Why RRR is the first Indian film to bag two Golden Globe nominations

On top of the list of most expensive Indian film is the 2022 release RRR starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR which took the box office by storm. The historical drama made with a budget of Rs 550 crore had around 2,800 visual effects (VFX) shots and had got on board 18 VFX studios. The film became the most successful release of 2022 so far and made over Rs 1,200 crore at the worldwide box office. Image: @RRRMovie

SS Rajamouli's RRR has become the first Indian film to bag two nominations at Golden Globe awards and the Indian film industry is effusive in praise, saying that not just the visual effects but story and streaming of the film played a big role in increasing its global traction.

Pen Studios, one of the distributors of RRR, said Rajamouli has put India on the world map.

"We believed that RRR is a film that can break all barriers, and entertain people across the world. This is why we presented the film in multiple Indian and global languages. With two nominations at the Golden Globe awards, it only validates our faith in the film and its makers," said Jayantilal Gada, Chairman & MD, Pen Studios.

Also Read: 'RRR' to 'Ponniyin Selvan-1', 2022 belonged to south cinema

The two Golden Globe awards nominations RRR has bagged are best picture in the non-English language category and best original song for Naatu Naatu, making it the first ever song to get this nomination. Moneycontrol spoke to experts in the film industry on what led to RRR's Golden Globe nominations.

Streaming success

The nomination was bound to happen especially due to the over-the-top (OTT) reach, said single-screen exhibitor Vishek Chauhan. "When RRR had released theatrically it did not get that kind of international reach but once it came on Netflix, critics started watching and it became sort of a movement. I would like to co-relate it to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. What that film did to the Chinese film industry, RRR will do that to the Indian film industry."

Directed by Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, released in 2000, was the first foreign-language film to break the $100 million mark at the US box office.

RRR has become the highest-grossing Indian film in Japan with an estimated collection of Rs 24 crore.

Streaming of RRR made it reach a larger audience globally and increased the buzz around the film, said film producer and trade business analyst Girish Johar.

"If it hadn't been for the OTT reach, the film would not have been noticed. Streaming made the film more accessible and internationally people started talking about RRR after it came on Netflix," Chauhan added.

After its release on Netflix, the streaming platform had tweeted that the film became the most popular film from India globally on the platform and was viewed for more than 45 million hours.

The story strikes a chord

Along with streaming, the story of RRR made it connect with a larger audience, said Johar.

"It was not just the visual effects of the film that made RRR so big. With just VFX, we cannot match Hollywood. We are almost a century behind in terms of VFX and CGI (computer-generated imagery). But it is the emotional connect, Indian roots in the story that worked for RRR," he said.

The film has given the global audience a flavor of India’s cinematic brilliance, technological prowess, rich culture, and illustrious heritage of storytelling, said Rohan Desai - Managing Director, ReDefine, a VFX and animation company that was part of RRR.

RRR will make the international audience accept Indian cinema for which we are known with films like K Asif's Mughal-E-Azam or Manmohan Desai movies, said Chauhan.

"The larger-than-life action sequences and story-telling, songs and dance, this is what RRR is and it celebrates Indian values and friendship. Also, now it doesn't take time for people to accept such content because of OTT."

He said that he won't be surprised if it wins an Oscar. "No one can make a film like RRR in the world. The interval sequence when Jr NTR unleashes animals, such scenes have become a landmark."

Producer Kaushik Izardar and CEO of film studio Kaans Production also said that RRR should have been nominated for Academy. "It is a cinematic brilliance."

Visual effects impact

While it was the story that clicked with the movie-goers, RRR became a big-screen spectacle due to its visual effects.

RRR was a fully immersive cinematic experience, from the larger-than-life action sequences to incredible creatures that push the boundaries of photorealism, something that audiences crave to see on the big screen, said Desai.

"RRR was one of the most complex shows in many folds. The 3D stereo conversion enabled the audience to have an immersive cinematic experience. It demanded high-end realistic creature work that involved muscle, fat, skin, and fur simulation which was only possible using software like Ziva and Houdini," he added.

Desai said that a project like RRR will help the creators as well as the film enthusiasts to embrace the technological advancements that India has today.

"RRR is a highly VFX-driven film with companies like Redefine, Makuta, Digital Domain, and Surpreeze contributing VFX sequences to the movie, all overseen by VFX supervisor Srinivas Mohan. The amount of work generated within India and internationally by such a production is a major boost to the VFX film industry, said CB Arun Kumar, Academic Director, EDGE Metaversity which offers courses in visual effects, and animation among others.

He said that just as films by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and James Cameron contributed to the growth of the international VFX industry and its technology, the films of Rajamouli from Magadheera to RRR have been important milestones in the development of the Indian VFX industry.

"Most other Indian producers have made one-off VFX films but the consistency with which Rajamouli has been creating VFX spectacles is what sets him apart from other producers," said Kumar.

Rajamouli is the James Cameron of India, said Sanjay Chabbria, producer and founder of Everest Entertainment. RRR's story telling, large canvas, never seen before visuals, breathtaking action sequences, has left a big impact on audiences across the globe, he added.

RRR in numbers

Rajamouli of the Baahubali franchise fame delivered another hit film with RRR at a time when the Indian film industry was struggling due to the pandemic effect.

It was a film that tried to pull out the Indian film industry from deep shallows, said Johar.

RRR, which was released in theatres on March 25, was the first big-budget venture after the reopening post the third lockdown due to the Omicron wave. Made on a budget of around Rs 450 crore, RRR had released in 10,000 screens globally.

The film opened with a box office business of around Rs 132 crore, according to industry estimates. It recorded revenue of Rs 467 crore in the opening weekend at the worldwide box office and was listed as number one on the global box office chart.

RRR has become the third highest-grossing Indian film with revenue of over Rs 900 crore at the domestic box office and Rs 1,111 crore worldwide.

"RRR is a critical film for the Indian film fraternity, not just in terms of revenue but also in terms of positioning the Indian film industry worldwide," said Johar.