RRR

[Drunk Monk]

Clearly Greg needs to watch Baahubali next…

[Greg]

Clearly Greg will be watching Mr. Harrigan's Phone next.

[Drunk Monk]

Yes, I saw the silliness of the motorcycle as weapon as fight scene.

Sure did fire a lot of arrows from a quiver that looked like it held ten arrows.

See now, here's a talking point that I brought up with Rajamouli.

The thing that you're missing here is that Ram and Bheem become avatar incarnations of legendary heroes, Rama from Ramayana and Bhima from Mahabharata. Note that the suffix 'a' is not always voiced in some Indian dialects/languages. For example, I have a shirt from Iyengar's yoga institute and it's spelled yog there. The bow plays a critical role in Ramayana. It's a magic bow that only Rama could draw and one him his bride Sita (the historic character that Ram is based on also loved a woman named Sita). Given that it is a magic bow, its quiver can always be full. When juxtaposed with so many cinematic firefights where revolvers shoot dozens of rounds without reloading, this is a culturalist critic. Bhima had the strength of 10,000 elephants, and just one elephant could toss a motorcycle. This is how Bheem drags all those crates of rifles at the end. Becoming an incarnation of a god is a common trope in Indian storytelling. Think of it like Natalie Portman incarnating Thor when she got Mjolnir. 

Rajamouli argued that a good story overrides the need for the audience to be familiar with the foundation myths. I don't agree here for exactly this reason. Knowing the characters from the classics and catching the names, there are references throughout RRR that foreshadow the two heroes incarnating as the legends. Those supernatural feats are expected and anticipated. I don't think that translates at all. But who am I to argue wit Rajamouli?

One point that he made which I did NOT include in my coverage was that he is dreaming of doing Mahabharata. He envisions a massive film series that would last over a decade. I hope he tackles it. It's been done many times, but Rajamouli could take it to new godly heights.

[Greg]

A sequel! Yay?

[b]Indian smash hit RRR getting a sequel, director S.S. Rajamouli confirms[/b]

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The Indian action film of the decade is getting a sequel. 
Director S.S. Rajamouli has confirmed that he is currently at work on a follow-up to the film. His father, the screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad, is developing the script. 
Though little is known about the project, Rajamouli noted at a screening in Chicago over the weekend that he and his father were collaborating on the project. 
"My father is the story writer for all my films. We discussed a bit about [the sequel], and he's working on the story," Rajamouli shared.
One of the most expensive movies ever made in India, with a budget of $72 million, the film has proved to be a box office smash since its debut in March. 

Set in the 1920s, RRR follows real-life Indian freedom fighters Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan). The Telugu-language historical fiction narrative centers on their friendship and their fight against British imperialists. The three-hour epic has gained notoriety for its nonstop action sequences and intricate fight choreography. 

It has become the most popular film on Netflix – viewed for over 47 million hours worldwide and subtitled into 15 different languages. It is the only non-English language film to trend for 10 consecutive weeks on the platform. 
Rajamouli recently sat down with Anthony and Joe Russo for EW to discuss the state of action films today and expressed his awe that the film has found a fanbase around the world. 
"Yes, I was surprised with the reception from the West," he said. "A good story is a good story for everyone, but I didn't think I could make films for Western sensibilities. I never believed myself. So when it came out on Netflix and people started watching it, and word of mouth started spreading, when the critics started giving out good reviews, yes I was really, really surprised."

RRR is now the second highest grossing film in India. It has also been a hit globally, earning nearly 89 percent of its roughly $100 million worldwide sales from international box offices.

[Drunk Monk]

I did ask S.S. about this during our interview. He demurred, saying if the story was good, he'd do it. Truth is if the money is good...

He said he dreams of doing the Mahabharata. Now that would be something...

[Greg]

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95)]Best Original Song — Motion Picture [/color]

"Carolina" by Taylor Swift from Where the Crawdads Sing
"Ciao Papa" by Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro from Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
"Hold My Hand" by Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice from Top Gun: Maverick
"Lift Me Up" by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
WINNER: "Naatu Naatu" by M.M. Keeravani, Kala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj from RRR

[Drunk Monk]

I just remembered the dance sequence kept repeating the chorus 'nacho nacho'. At least, that's what it sounded like. 

RRR is making a major Oscars bid. It was one of the topics I discussed with S.S. Rajamouli.

[Drunk Monk]

[Greg]

Tesla love for Natuu Natuu

[Drunk Monk]

Has Elon ever heard of…Desi Naach?