The success of Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite showed that American audiences are more open to watching foreign films than ever before. Even accounting for that refreshing development, the rise of RRR as one of the significant movies of 2022 is still surprising. The filmmakers behind this extravagant three-hour Telugu language alternate history of Indian revolutionaries fighting back against British rule were mostly unknown outside of their home country, but the excellence of RRR organically created a fanbase around the movie that broke viewing records once it arrived on Netflix.
In the wake of the film’s popularity, the stars of RRR now want to act in American productions. They already have ideas about what type of movie they would want to be in.
‘RRR’ is a hit among casual movie fans and critics
The arrival of RRR in theaters took years longer than expected. The Tollywood movie was supposed to be released in the summer of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent outbreaks pushed the date back multiple times. The finished product was well worth the wait and audiences around the world flocked to the movie once it was available to them.
When RRR was released in the US in March, it did so in over 1,150 locations, the most ever for an Indian film. The initial release did so well that the movie was reintroduced to theaters for a one-night event in June called the #encoRRRe“. Globally, RRR is the third highest-grossing Indian film and the second highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. The movie also became a sensation on Netflix, becoming the first non-English film to stay in the top 10 list for 15 weeks.
RRR also received acclaim from major awards bodies as one of the best films of the year. The movie won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu” at the Golden Globes and also won the Best Foreign Language Film and the Best Song award at the Critics’ Choice Awards. RRR has also been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The stars of the movie want to use their newfound fame to earn roles in America
RRR’s breakthrough should give its main stars the opportunity to crossover and make movies stateside. N. T. Rama Rao Jr., who plays Komaram Bheem, and Ram Charan Teja, who plays Alluri Sitarama Raju, are both established stars of Telugu cinema and have won several awards in their home country, but in an interview with Variety’s Clayton Davis, they each spoke about their desire to seek out opportunities in US projects.
NTR Jr. and Ram Charan are so excited by the potential that they start to speak over each other. “Why not? You know, we’re actors Clayton. Bring it on, you know?” says Rama Rao Jr. “We would love to explore this,” seconded Charan.
They both have blockbusters on the mind
The duo also have a preference in the types of movies they would like to take on, saying that they’re interested in starring in a Fast and Furious-style action movie.
As fun as it is to dream about these actors espousing the importance of family, the creativity of RRR’s storytelling shows that their talents can apply to many different genres and tones. Considering their openness about their career plans, you’d hope that American casting directors are in contact with their agents in the near future. “Have your directors experience us as well on the sets, and I think we will do a great job,” said Charan.
