On October 6, the team behind Roudram! Ranam! Rudhiram! (RRR), starring Tarak (Jr NTR) and Ram Charan, SS Rajamouli's first film after the blockbuster Baahubali series, posted an update on the film's progress by giving us a making video that really had the power to lift spirits.
The update of the film, one of the biggest being made in India, had ended with a surprise announcement that asked viewers to brace themselves for #RamarajuForBheem, a character introduction, on October 22. As expected (after a 30 minute delay), the team broke the Internet with the announcement of Jr NTR's character.
The one-and-a-half minute video begins in the forest with lush visuals of water and greenery, reminding one of the spectacular visuals of the first part of Baahubali. And like Ram Charan's character introduction in the film, this video too plays out like a training montage as Tarak prepares himself for a rebellion against the British. He too gets a shot of him hitting the bull's eye, like Ram Charan's character did in the older video.
We also see the character erecting a flag with the Hindi words "Jal, Jungle, Jameen" (water, jungle and land) on it; a slogan Komaram Bheem popularised during the period. It however ends with a shot of Jr NTR walking towards the camera dressed like a Muslim man.
Watch the new video here:
Tarak is said to play the character of Komaram Bheem in the film. He was a tribal leader (he died in 1940) who fought against the Asaf Jahi dynasty for the liberation of Hyderabad. He had also rebelled, guerrilla-style, against feudal landlords during the Nizam's rule. Today, October 22, marks the legendary figure's 119th birthday.
The two leads of the film represent the elements of fire and water. In this, Jr NTR's character is the one taking on the motif of water, evident even in the blueish themes used in today's update. If Ram Charan's character introduction features his use of weapons like fire power and guns, Jr NTR's hero is seen using a spear and a chain.
A teaser of Ram Charan's character Alluri Sitarama Raju was revealed on March 27, on the occasion of his birthday. In contrast to Bheem, Ram Charan's character Alluri Sitarama Raju plays a Brahmin in the film, and an ally to his cause.
Watch the making video
The cast also includes stars such as Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt and Olivia Morris, besides British actor Ray Stevenson, who was seen in the series Rome and Alison Doody (Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade and A View To A Kill).
The film is produced by Dasari Veera Venkata Danayya of DVV Entertainments. Cinematography is by KK Senthil Kumar (Baahubali) and A Sreekar Prasad is the film's editor. The film was originally slated to release on January 8, 2021, in Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil.
Just yesterday, the team behind Prabhas' mega budget Radhe Shyam released a character introduction poster with an image of the suave actor sitting on the hood of a vintage car. The film's first-look poster hinted it is set in Italy, with images of the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, who made the much-loved Jil, the mega-budget film also stars Pooja Hegde. The film is being shot by Manoj Paramahamsa who shot Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya. Prabhas' previous film Saaho, made at a rumoured cost of more than Rs 300 crore, went on to become one of the year's highest grossers, despite the middling to negative reviews it received.
The other biggie that was announced during the lockdown, the Nag Ashwin directorial starring Prabhas and Deepika Padukone, made a big splash just a couple of weeks ago when it announced that Amitabh Bachchan had joined the film, to truly make it a pan-Indian film. Mahanati, the director's previous film, was both a commercial success as well as a hit with critics, and went on to bag three National Awards.