Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao), and their fight against the British Raj. Set in 1920, the plot explores the undocumented period in their lives when both the revolutionaries chose to go into obscurity before they began the fight for their country. Rajamouli came across stories about the lives of Rama Raju and Bheem and connected the coincidences between them, imagining what would have happened had they met, and been friends. The film was formally announced in March 2018. Principal photography of the film began in November 2018 in Hyderabad which continued until August 2021, owing to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was shot extensively across India, with a few sequences in Ukraine and Bulgaria. The film's soundtrack and background score is composed by M. M. Keeravani with cinematography by K. K. Senthil Kumar and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. Sabu Cyril is the film's production designer whilst V. Srinivas Mohan supervised the visual effects. Made on a budget of ₹550 crore ($72 million), RRR is the most expensive Indian film to date. The film was initially scheduled for theatrical release on 30 July 2020, which was postponed multiple times due to production delays and the pandemic. RRR was released theatrically on 25 March 2022, and received universal acclaim for cast performances (particularly Rama Rao and Charan), soundtrack, action sequences, cinematography, VFX, direction and writing.[4] With ₹240 crore (US$30 million) worldwide on its first day, RRR broke the record for the highest opening-day collection earned by an Indian film. RRR emerged as the highest-grossing film in its home market of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, grossing over ₹415 crore (US$52 million) and surpassing Rajamouli's previous film Baahubali 2.[5] The film grossed ₹1,150–1,200 crore (US$150–160 million) worldwide, setting several box office records for an Indian film, including the third-highest-grossing Indian film. RRR is nominated in three categories at the 47th Saturn Awards including Best Action / Adventure Film, Best International Film, and Best Director.
Plot
In 1920, during the British Raj, tyrannical administrator Scott Buxton and his sadistic wife Catherine visit a forest in Adilabad, where they forcefully abduct Malli, a young girl with a talent for artistry, from the Gond tribe. Enraged by the act, the tribe's guardian Komaram Bheem, embarks to Delhi with the intent of rescuing her, under the guise of Muslim man named Akhtar. Elsewhere, the Nizamate of Hyderabad, sympathetic to the Raj, warns Scott's office of the impending danger. Undeterred, Catherine enlists the assistance of A. Rama Raju, an ambitious officer in the Indian Imperial Police to quell the threat. Embarking on his new assignment, Raju and his uncle, Venkateswarulu, attend several pro-independence gatherings in the hopes of finding clues. His opinions attract the attention of Lachhu, Bheem's gullible aide.
Falling for Raju's trickery, he attempts to induct him into Bheem's plot, only to flee when he discovers his true identity. A short while later, both Bheem and Raju encounter each other; unaware of their opposing identities and intentions, they unite to save a boy from a train wreck, sparking a friendship between the two. Over time, the two grow close to each other. Raju subsequently assists Bheem in courting Jenny, Scott's niece, unaware of his intention to infiltrate Scott's residence. While attending a party there at the behest of Jenny, Bheem discovers Malli being held in captivity; he subsequently vows to free her. Meanwhile, Raju deduces Lachhu's covert identity and whereabouts; he subsequently apprehends him. While interrogating him, Lachhu goads a banded krait into attacking Raju; he thereafter warns him of his imminent fate and that the antidote is only known to the Gonds.
Dazed, Raju approaches Bheem, who immediately tends to him. Noticing similar religious features between Lachhu and Bheem, Raju deduces his true intentions. Regardless, Bheem divulges his tribal identity and his mission, still unaware of Raju's covert identity. At an event held in Scott's honor, Bheem's men barge into his residence with a lorry filled with wild animals, which creates havoc among the assembled guests. The animals maul Scott's guards, allowing Bheem to briefly fight; however, Raju arrives and subsequently discloses to him of Scott's intention to kill Malli; he surrenders out of obligation. In the aftermath of the incident, Raju is promoted for thwarting Bheem, yet, he is absorbed with guilt over his own actions, recalling his own pro-nationalistic background and his actual alter-ego as a mole within the police.
At Bheem's public flogging, Raju attempts to persuade him into recanting his actions; the former chooses to be flogged instead. Resisting his injuries, Bheem sings in defiance, which incites an assembled crowd into rebelling. The riot further enlightens Raju, who finally realizes the recklessness of his actions. Determined to save his friend, he persuades Scott to secretly execute Bheem whilst preparing an ambush to save him; nevertheless, Scott deduces his plot. Whilst managing to rescue Malli from Scott's men, Raju is grievously injured. Bheem, who had simultaneously managed to free himself, mistakenly interprets Raju's actions as an attempt to kill Malli; he bludgeons him before escaping with her. Months later, Bheem, who had escaped with Malli to Hathras, is cornered by the colonial authorities; he narrowly avoids being exposed when Sita, Raju's fiancée, repels them by claiming of a smallpox endemic as a pretext.