RRR cinematographer K.K. Senthil Kumar, ISC, said that the driving principle behind the action epic's aesthetic was to capture the bulk of the footage in-camera, and enhance it with visual effects later. Senthil spoke to American Cinematographer Magazine about the buzzy Indian film’s look, and detailed how some of the most memorable sequences in the movie were conceptualized under the direction of S.S. Rajamouli.
Starring Jr. NTR and Ram Charan, RRR tells a fictionalized story about the real-life freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju’s exploits against British colonizers in 1920s India. The film has made nearly $150 million worldwide against a reported budget of $70 million, earning fans across the globe after launching in its native India back in March. Senthil previously worked with Rajamouli on films such as Yamadonga, Magadheera, Eega, and the two Baahubali films — Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.
Prep for RRR — the duo’s biggest project yet — involved multiple "look tests" and a process known as “stuntvis,” which involves shooting an action sequence with stunt performers on makeshift sets before principal photography. Despite as many as 11 visual effects houses being credited for having worked on the film, Senthil said that most of what’s seen on screen was captured practically. For example, 3,000 extras were brought in for Raju’s introductory sequence, in which he single-handedly beats up hundreds, if not thousands of people to secure one person from a crowd of protestors.
The sole exception, as fans of the movie might’ve guessed, was the show-stopping pre-interval sequence, in which Bheem unleashes dozens of animals at colonizer villains. “We did not believe in ‘create it in post’ or ‘fix it in post,’” Senthil said. He also spoke about filming the now-iconic “Naatu Naatu” dance-off sequence in Kyiv, Ukraine. In his own words:
“We needed lots of foreigners for the scene, but getting them into India was too difficult because of the Covid restrictions. One of the first countries to open for filming was Ukraine, so we found a great set of dancers there and got to shoot at Mariinskyi Palace, the home of the president. It’s a beautiful place, and we had a wonderful experience shooting there.”
RRR broke box office records in India when it launched amid frenzied anticipation earlier this year, but it truly broke out globally — and particularly in the United States — when it was released (in the admittedly inauthentic Hindi language version) on Netflix. RRR is originally a Telugu language production, and not, as many Western audiences might assume, a Bollywood (Hindi language) film. India has several thriving film industries that function independently of each other. But while there are noticeable differences in the storytelling styles of mainstream Telugu language and Hindi language movies, the adoration that their respective fans have for stars is unmatched.
Senthil admitted that when he’s “dealing with big superstars,” he has to remember that people are “coming to the movie to see them,” and so, it is his responsibility to present them in the best possible light. But never at the expense of story. RRR has been hailed for providing audiences with a shot of pure cinematic spectacle, and it was by design. “When people go to the movies, they want their stars to look like stars. They want cinema to be like cinema,” Senthil signed off.
Rajamouli and his stars are now in the midst of a proper awards campaign for the film. And even though it was overlooked as India’s official selection for the Best International Feature category at next year’s Oscars, they plan on campaigning the film across all other categories, including Best Picture.