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After talking to my friend, who is Telegu and grew up watching Tollywood films, I was surprised to hear that he and his family was not a fan of the movie RRR. I wondered if it was because of historical inaccuracy or propoganda, but because he was born and raised in America, he claimed that he didn’t know much about Indian history or current events and didn’t feel strongly about the problematic sides of the movie. He simply thought that it was not the best and felt that there were many more Tollywood films that were worth watching and much shorter than the long 3 hour run time. I greatly enjoyed the film, and was under the impression that it was a hit in India as well. After doing some research, I found that his opinion is not alone.

In a blog post titled “India Doesn’t Seem to Love ‘RRR’ as Much as the West,” negative opinions from regular Tollywood and Bollywood watchers were compiled. One critic explained that a foreigner watching RRR would feel extremely different from an Indian watching RRR, as a foreigner would be in awe over the effects, over the top action, music, and “masala” of the movie that is not normally seen in Hollywood movies, while a regular watcher would feel that it is another run-of-the-mill movie. I, as a foreigner, was hooked into the movie as it was nothing I had ever seen before, but I’m sure that my friend felt that he had seen many just like it or better.

In another negative review I found, written by a critic from India, they also complained of the long run time of the movie and calls it “bloated and bombastic affair.” They say that this movie requires you to suspend your disbelief for far too long and “their invincibility is a given, and that’s a drag.” I had personally been invested into every minute of the film, with all its flashy effects and inhumane stunts and the actors’ charisma, but it is understandable that someone may find the action scenes dragging out for far too long, as it is nothing they haven’t seen already.

Despite the less enthusastic reactions of watchers who are already extremely familiar with Indian films, most can agree that RRR has helped immensely with exposure and hope that the western audience will give other Tollywood films a try.

https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/film-review-rrr-is-high-on-action-long-on-time-1.86716477

https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2022/12/ps9oqq7cyzzybjajilm8oj4a9rwedy

Paranorman is a childhood classic of mine. It’s funny, honestly kind of scary, and beautifully animated. It took me until a recent rewatch, however, to truly uncover some of the messages that the film tries to send youth across the world. The film features many references to classic horror conventions and gives nods to many legends such as John Carpenter. However, as directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell discuss in this interview (https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/interview-chris-butler-a-sam-fell-directors-of-paranorman/), the movie can’t be labeled as a horror movie or simply a kids movie. Instead, the film uses zombies as a way to look introspectively at Norman himself, turning the film into much more of a character study. The directors discuss how the zombies act as an unusual comfort in the life of Norman. While theoretically he should be scared of the undead, he has come to fear social pressures and bullying far more.

Similarly, the directors choose to reveal towards the end of the film that one of the main characters, Mitch, is openly gay. This plays into the concept of misdirection since Mitch is initially portrayed as a classically straight, intimidating jock. This is a parallel to the misdirection of the zombies. What should be scary isn’t. What we assume to be true about Mitch’s identity isn’t either. The directors describe this as the ‘idea of making the audience complicit in [the film] and then pulling the rug out from under them.’ Overall, Paranorman, while cosplaying as a “horror” movie, really dives deep into the social anxiety of a high schooler through the unusual use of zombies.

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.