“Nothing Is Impossible”: ‘RRR’ Director S.S. Rajamouli Talks About His Spectacular Action Epic And Reveals That The Ecstatic U.S. Reception Has Inspired A Sequel

28.12.2022 - 21:03 / deadline.com

Seeing is disbelieving when it comes to RRR, an Indian blockbuster set during the rule of the British Raj. Starring Telegu icons Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr. (N.T.R.), it’s a lavish adventure based loosely — very loosely — on two legendary Indian freedom fighters of the early 20th century, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N.T.R). Whether these two ever did drive motorcycles through exploding trains, fight with lions and tigers and bears, and challenge Delhi’s high society to a dance battle is a moot point, but the magic of S.S. Rajamouli’s delirious, incendiary epic — those three Rs stand for Rise, Roar, Revolt — is that it piles on the spectacle without ever losing its sense of fun.

DEADLINE: When did the idea for RRR first come to you?

S.S. RAJAMOULI: I can’t pinpoint that, really. There were two or three thoughts running in my mind, parallelly. One was that I wanted to do a multi-starrer, bringing two heroes together. That always fascinated me: a story about two heroes. Another idea was when I saw The Motorcycle Diaries: all the while we see the story of a normal young guy, and suddenly the director tells you it is Che Guevara. That was a brilliant idea, and I thought that could be adapted to many, many stories. Then I read the about Alluri and Komaram. They were born around the same time, and they left their homes around the same time, but we don’t know what happened for a period of two or three years. I thought these coincidences were beautiful, because I could then go into a fictional account of their friendship. What if they met, and what if whatever you saw in RRR actually happened?

DEADLINE: You invent all these amazing set pieces — how do they find their way into a movie?

RAJAMOULI: For