Opinion RRR at the Golden Globes: Why a mass film can open doors for Indian cinema

The action in the film is audacious, wildly imaginative, done with an inventive style that has no room for logic. In the context of Telugu cinema’s popular film culture, there is no option but to submit to the movie, which stars two big “heroes” from arguably the most influential film families. NTR is former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and actor Sr NTR’s grandson, Charan is the son of popular actor Chiranjeevi. It is made by S S Rajamouli, who has assumed a star status himself after the massive success of his previous two-part film Bahubali, and a two-decade long career leading up to that, with films such as Eega (2012).

It is only after finishing watching RRR that you realise the film has troubling social realities: Bheem, a real-life Gond revolutionary who fought the Nizams of Hyderabad state and coined the “jal, jungle, zameen” (“Water, forest, land”) slogan is reduced to a stereotypical portrayal needing the help of the savarna saviour in the form of Ram. A talent like Alia Bhatt is almost invisibilised, just like other female leads in the film. Ram is mythologised, assuming a god-like status and is clad in saffron robes and wears a sacred thread.

Which is why the unilateral adulation of the film, especially from western audiences, might be unsettling for many. Interestingly, the “mass film” has now crossed over to be a critic’s pick, with Rajamouli winning the Best Director at New York Film Critics Circle Awards and the film’s composer M M Keeravani getting the Best Composer award from the Los Angeles Films Critics Association. The film also got two Golden Globe nominations, and there is Oscar buzz bolstered by the team’s campaign in America.

The obvious question: Is it the best Indian film in 2022? The answers to that may vary depending on who you ask. What is true is that it is the biggest Indian cultural product of the recent past, mounted on a scale never done before — the film grossed Rs 1,000 crore worldwide as per some estimates. It has now overtaken the Tamil film, Muthu (1995), to become the highest-grossing Indian film in Japan. At the same time, the film does seem to be serving more than just the commerce of filmmaking. There is a certain earnesty, emotion, and originality underpinning it.

The film, therefore, can be picked apart in multiple directions. To engage with films in India is to engage critically with a film like RRR, which is perhaps one of the few “pan-Indian” films, cutting across boundaries in the country. The movie has a wafer-thin plot, large frames that scream grand, as opposed to inspiring awe or beauty. But it is symptomatic of the mainstream film-watching culture of the country, centred around stars.

For a long time, there has been a distinction between the “mass film” and the “art film”, with the former rarely being able to cross-over to the latter’s category. RRR’s success and its acceptance signify the arrival of the mass film, which has not had this kind of acceptance outside of India.

Is it safe, simple, a product of the status-quo? Could it have been braver in its choices? An emphatic yes. Is it also just plain fun? Yes. Therefore, the argument of whether this film is “worthy” of the awards does not serve much purpose.

The hope from the film’s international campaign is that it opens doors for other films and filmmakers in the country to be able to work with the kind of audacious, brave canvas this film does. What if we can make a mainstream, “pakka-mass” film with a female star in the lead that cleverly subverts the traditional masculinity of such films? And what if it does as well as RRR, surmounting barriers of region, class and caste? What if more films like Pa Ranjith’s anti-caste Kaala (2018) starring superstar Rajnikanth come up? What if more collaborations across industries and among actors takes place? What if mechanics of what typically defines a big-event film changes? One can only dream.

vidhatri.rao@expressindia.com