I really don’t know whether to classify it as a comedy or a serious movie discussing about independence. There are so many hilarious moments that just seemed so unrealistic but works fine in such a film.
(ok this two dude just jump off a 5 level tall building like a horse)
Although RRR is much like a mythic and exaggerated fantasy film, it is based on a very real and brutal British colonial rule in India during the early 20th century. The British ruled on a heavy racial hierarchy, exploitation, land seizure, and violent suppression to maintain control over the millions of people, like the Gond people that Bheem belonged to are often driven out of the forest. However, rebellion also exists. Activists such as Alluri Sitarama Raju resisted through guerrilla movements like the Rampa Rebellion of 1922–24 (ended when Raju was captured and killed). RRR simplifies this era into a clear good versus evil narrative, but it channels the anger and resistance that shaped the fight for independence..
The coolest visual idea that I see in this film is the fire versus water motif. Ram is assigned with fire, and also framed in warm colors. Bheem is assigned with water, and is framed by cold colors. We often see Ram using fire and he literally blows everything up in the end of the film. And the intro sequence of Bheem is literally him unleasing animals out of a water tank. And we can follow the theme of how these two elements learn not to cancel each other out but combine into something stronger. Ram sacrifices himself to achieve the greater goal while Bheem focus more on achievable things such as rescuing his sister for the tribe.
Another interesting part of this film is its music and dance. There is the “Naatu Naatu” dance. On the surface, it’s just a ridiculous, exhausting dance battle at a British garden party. But it became the first song from an Asian film to win the Oscar for Best Original Song, and the first Indian song to win both the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice awards. We see a lot of violence and gun and fights and killing throughout the movie, but here we see rhythm and music replace guns and bullets.
What makes the scene compelling is the dance’s design: fast footwork derived from traditional Indian folk dance styles, matched with a competitive, almost combative structure. More deeply, it is not just a dance, but rather a form of fightback of colonial hierarchy. Every kick, jump, and step is a refusal to be humiliated by the British. Marking the moment of India’s cultural identity triumph at that moment right at the backyard of the British colonizers.
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