REVIEW: RRR

Producer-D.V.V. Danayya and Jayantilal Gada

Director- S.S. Rajamouli

Star Cast- Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Shriya Saran, Makrand Deshpande, Rahul Ramakrishna and Samuthirakani.

Genre- Period Drama

Platform of Release- Theatrical

Rating- **1/2

TOO MELODRAMATIC AND LOUD!

Jyothi Venkatesh

SS Rajamouli's much-awaited magnum opus RRR, which has been creating mass hysteria ever since its inception has at last just turned out to be yet another loud potboiler without logic of any kind whatsoever.

RRR is a period drama set in India during the 1920s, revolving around the inspiring journey of two of India`s freedom fighters. Rama Raju and Komaram Bheem.

The epic period drama brings together two of Telugu film industry's biggest stars- Ram Charan and Jr NTR.

RRR marks Rajamouli's fourth outing with NTR Jr after Student No 1 (2001), Simhadri (2003) and Yamadonga (2007), while it is his second collaboration with Charan after their 2009 film Magadheera.

RRR's story opens in a fictitious place like Adilabad, where a young tribal girl called Malli is forcefully taken away from her mother by a few British soldiers.

The film from then onwards is her brother Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR), the tribe's leader’s journey in search of the lass.

Rama Raju (Ram Charan), one of the police officers working for the British, on a tip-off about Bheem's mission and his plan to murder the governor, decides to take up the task of finishing him off.

However, things take an unexpected turn, when the foes turn good friends with time and decide to fight together against the British Raj and Nizam of Hyderabad.

As far as the performances are concerned, all that I can say is that it is a vehicle designed out and out for N.T.R Jr who literally lives his character of Bheem with diligence and steals the show from Ram Charan.

This is a rare Rajamouli film where the girls do not have vital roles and it is no wonder Alia and Shriya Saran have very little scope to prove their mettle as actresses in the film.

However a lot of scope has been given to Olivia Morris who enlivens the scenes with her charming presence.

I just cannot fathom what on earth prompted talented actors like Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt and Samuthirakani to agree to play extras in a gigantic film like this where there was absolutely no doubt at all that it would be N.T.R Jr and Ram Charan who would walk away with all the accolades.

Rahul Ramakrishna also acquits himself creditably as an aide of Bheem while Makrand Deshpande has hardly any role in the film.

S.S. Rajamouli, who is known for his larger than life entertainers including Bahubali has not spared any effort on his part to make a film which hits your eye balls but this time around, the guy has tended to be more commercial than ever so much so that he does not mind appearing even in the closing titles of the film dancing with his actors with gay abandon.

While DOP Senthil Kumar deserves kudos for his splendid cinematography, Editor A. Sreekar Prasad ought to have made the three hour long film slicker by trimming it by at least half an hour.

M.M. Keeravani’s music is too jarring and the songs seem to have been placed at the wrong time, like even as he is about to be hanged, N.T.R Jr suddenly bursts into singing Morambi Moodo whatever that means. Choreography is eye pleasing and both N.T.R Jr and Ram Charan dance with excellent coordination.

To put it in just a nutshell, when you compare this film with the director’s earlier film Bahubali with Prabhas, it cuts a sorry figure as it is nothing but a larger than life loud and melodramatic film though it does have certain ‘Rajamouli’ moments to save itself. I’d give the film generously two and a half stars including half a star for Rajamouli.