RRR is an upcoming Indian Telugu-language period action drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli. The film is produced by D. V. V. Danayya of DVV Entertainments. It stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan while Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Ajay Devgn, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, and Alison Doody play supporting roles. It is a fictional story about India’s freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao) who fought against the British Raj and Nizam of Hyderabad respectively.
The film’s music is scored by M. M. Keeravani with cinematography by K. K. Senthil Kumar, and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. Principal photography of the film began on 19 November 2018 in Hyderabad. The film’s initial release date of 8 January 2021 has been deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is now scheduled to release on 13 October 2021 in multiple languages.
Cast
- N. T. Rama Rao Jr. as Komaram Bheem
- Ram Charan as Alluri Sitarama Raju
- Alia Bhatt as Sita
- Olivia Morris as Jennifer
- Ajay Devgn
- Samuthirakani
- Ray Stevenson as Scott
- Alison Doody as Lady Scott
- Chatrapathi Sekhar
- Shriya Saran
- Spandan Chaturvedi as Young Sita
- Chakri as Young Komaram Bheem
- Varun Buddhadev
Production
Development
In October 2017, S. S. Rajamouli announced that his next film after Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), would be produced by D. V. V. Danayya under DVV Entertainmentsbanner. In March 2018, Rajamouli confirmed that the film would be starring both N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan.
In March 2019, Rajamouli revealed that the film’s core idea came from The Motorcycle Diaries (2004). “I was fascinated by how a character named Che transforms into a revolutionary called Guevara and have structured the characters of my protagonists around a common point, on similar lines,” he added. Charan and Rama Rao play the younger versions of Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem respectively. The plot explores their stay in Delhi of 1920s before they begin the fight for their country but the story is entirely fictitious. “When I read about Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, it was exciting to know that their story is similar. They never met each other. What if they had met? What if they had inspired each other? That is what RRR is about,” he noted.
The film was tentatively titled as RRR, which was later confirmed to be the official title. In an interview, Rajamouli said that a universal title across the languages was essential for a film of such scale.
K. V. Vijayendra Prasad gave the original story while Rajamouli scripted the film. The film has score and soundtrack composed by M. M. Keeravani. K. K. Senthil Kumar is the director of photography and A. Sreekar Prasad is the editor. Sabu Cyril is signed as the production designer while V. Srinivas Mohan will supervise the visual effects. Costume designing is done by Rama Rajamouli. Sai Madhav Burra is providing the dialogues for the film.
Casting
The film marks the Telugu debut of Ajay Devgan and Alia Bhatt. Alia Bhatt was paired opposite Ram Charan while Ajay Devgn would have an extended cameo. British actress Daisy Edgar-Jones was signed to be paired opposite Jr. NTR but was later replaced by Olivia Morris. Tamil actor Samuthirakani was roped in to play a crucial role. In November 2019, it was announced that Hollywood actors Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody would play major roles. Stevenson, who featured in Thor, would play the lead antagonist Scott whereas Doody is cast as Lady Scott.
Filming
Principal photography of the film commenced on 19 November 2018 in Hyderabad. The first schedule involved an action sequence shot at a set erected at Aluminium factory, Hyderabad. N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan and S. S. Rajamouli have taken off to Vadodara on 29 March 2019 to continue with the shoot of the film. The second schedule of the film took place in Bulgaria where the crew shot crucial scenes featuring N. T. Rama Rao Jr. Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn began his shooting schedule on 21 January 2020.The filming, which was halted due to COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, resumed on 5 October 2020.
Alia Bhatt began filming on 6 December 2020, though she signed for the role in 2019. A set resembling the 20th century Delhi was recreated at the Ramoji Film City. After shooting in Mahabaleshwar, the unit moved to Hyderabad. The filming of the climax episode began on 19 January 2021.
Marketing and release
The makers invited the expansion for the title RRR in various languages from the people. On 25 March 2020, the expansion of the title RRR is revealed as Roudram Ranam Rudhiram in Telugu, Raththam Ranam Rowthiram in Tamil, Roudra Rana Rudhira in Kannada, Rudhiram Ranam Roudhram in Malayalam (all of which translate to Rage, War, Blood) and Rise Roar Revolt in Hindi. The film was earlier scheduled to be released on 30 July 2020. However, in February 2020, the release date was revised as 8 January 2021.In November 2020, Rajamouli said that the release date will be confirmed after the completion of shooting, which was on hold due to COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in October.
On 25 January 2021, the new release date was announced as 13 October 2021. The film will release in Telugu along with the dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalamand other Indian languages. In February 2021, Lyca Productions acquired the film’s theatrical distribution rights for Tamil Nadu. In March, Pen Studios acquired the theatrical rights for North India, in addition to electronic, satellite and digital rights of all language versions.