Darmok and Jilad in Delhi

RRR (2022) was written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who also wrote and directed the Bahubali films.  Comparisons are pretty much inevitable.  Is this bombastic historical action drama really just Bahubali in the 1920s?  Kind of, but that's okay, because Bahubali in the 1920s is a really good idea.

It's 1920, and Bheem (NT Rama Rao Jr) is a man with a mission.  He is the protector of the rural Gond community, and on a recent visit outrageously evil British Governor Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson) abducted a young girl named Malli (Twinkle Sharma) because his even more outrageously evil wife Catherine (Alison Doody) enjoyed her singing.  Gond has followed the villains to Delhi, and is searching the city for a way to reach them - he has a rather complicated plan to free Malli, a plan which involves capturing tigers, but he has to find the girl first.

Meanwhile, Indian Imperial Police officer Rama Raju (Ram Charan) is a man with a mission.  He is determined to be promoted to Special Officer, even if it means wading single handed through a mob of angry protestors in order to arrest the man who through a rock at a picture of the king.  Despite all the wading, however, he's still an Indian man working in a British organization in 1920.  He has a goal, but he needs a chance to make it happen.

Ram gets his chance when the Imperial Police are warned that Bheem is in the area.  Lady Catherine herself promises that any officer who can bring Bheem in alive will be promoted to Special Officer, and that's enough for Rama.  He goes undercover to search for Bheem.

He doesn't find Bheem, though, he finds Akhtar, whom he befriends when they team up to rescue a boy in a boat from a burning train.  (As you do.)  The pair quickly become close friends, but they're each keeping secrets - Rama does not reveal that he is secretly a policeman, and Akhtar doesn't reveal that he is secretly Bheem.  They do reveal some things about themselves, though - Rama reveals that he has  a girl he loves back at home named Sita (Alia Bhatt), and even Akhtar can't help but point out that the name is a bit on the nose, though the movie is going to get considerably on the noser.

When Rama, who speaks English, notices Akhtar, who does not speak English, staring at a wealthy British woman named Jenny (Olivia Morris), he helps him to meet and befriend her.  This is probably the most unrealistic part of the movie, since these two Indian guys are able to approach an admittedly very nice British woman on the street and the only problems they face are some dirty looks and snooty people being rude to them at a party, before the British snobs are defeated by Rama and Bheem's sweet dance moves.  

Jenny is the Governor's niece, and befriending her earns Bheem a visit to the house.  He uses the opportunity to find Malli, though he isn't able to take her home yet.  he decides it's time to put his plan into action.  And Rama is getting closer to his target, capturing one of Bheem's associates (Rahul Ramakrishna), but getting a highly venomous snake thrown at his face for his troubles.  After he's bitten, he sets his prisoner free and stumbles off to die in the company of his good friend Akhtar.  Bheem cures him, and while he's confined to bed recovering, reveals his true identity, then leaves to throw leopards at rich people.

Rama recovers and makes his way to the site of Bheem's attack, manages to capture him when no one else could, and finally earns his promotion.  he's heartbroken, though - not only did he betray his best friend, but Rama is really a revolutionary working undercover in order to fulfill an oath he made to his dying father (Ajay Devgn) and steal British rifles in order to arm the people of his village.  Now his goal is in sight, but Bheem is about to be executed.  Can Raja abandon everything he's worked for in order to rescue his friend?  Yes.  Of course he can.  It's that kind of movie.

RRR is supposed to be a historical flight of fancy, bringing two historical figures who never met in real life together for one grand adventure at the start of their revolutionary careers.  It's not, really.  This movie hits all the beats of an Indian mythological epic, complete with heartfelt vows, sudden deep friendships, demonic villains, and a climax involving explosive arrows.  It's just adapting a more recent mythology.

But that's not the whole truth, either.  Just as the Bahubali movies remixed and condensed the Mahabharata, RRR remixes and condenses the characters and events of the Ramayana.  Rama and Sita are, well, Rama and Sita, and while Bheem draws a little from the Pandava Bheem, he draws a lot from Hanuman, even making a  joke about burning down "Lanka" about five minutes after I did.

The mythological remix is a neat trick, and it's even more impressive the second time around.