Why are Indian action movies becoming so popular in the West?

It's been 10 months since the action-fiction RRR hit theaters in India, but the anticipation hasn't died down. The film is also popular in Hollywood, so the BBC's Meryl Sebastian tries to find out what it is about the film that has captivated audiences around the world.

Director SS Rajamouli says that he has created RRR mainly for Indians living in India and other countries. The film stars Telugu actors Ram Charan and NTR Jr. and tells the story of two true revolutionaries who fought against British rule.

The film has grossed over Rs 12 billion ($146.5 million or £120 million) worldwide, spent several weeks in the top 10 on Netflix in the US, and is now breaking box office records. Ticket office. In Japan.

It has been included in several lists of the best films of 2022, including the British Film Institute and the US National Board of Review.

Last week, a song from the movie Natu Natu won the Golden Globe for Best Song. This week, both the song and the movie took big prizes at the Critics' Choice Awards in Los Angeles. BBC Culture film critics Nicholas Barber and Karen James listed it among their 20 best films of 2022. Rajamouli’s delight at the film's worldwide reception is evident in many of his interviews.

"When we started getting praise from the West, we thought: 'These guys must be friends with the Indians who went to see the movie,'" he recently joked on the US talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Siddhant Udlakha, a member of the New York-based Film Critics Circle (which voted Rajamouli best director in December), says that when RRR was first released in the US, it was no different from other Indian films. . . . Conventional.

Siddhanth Adlakha says, “Most of the people from Trend came to see him on the first weekend. But after a few weeks, the situation changed completely. Fans packed theaters to see it, critics wrote rave reviews, and Hollywood directors including Anthony and Joe Russo, Edgar Wright, Scott Derrickson, and James Gunn praised it.

American distributors say they screened the film after seeing the enthusiastic response from the public. Adlakha says the reception is "unlike any recently released Indian film". Social media videos taken during the screening show how excited and happy the audience is while watching the movie. Such scenes are rarely seen in Indian movies.

During a screening hosted by director JJ Abrams at the famous Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, people took the stage to dance to the song Natu Natu.

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Has Bollywood found the formula to bring fans back to theaters?

Says Adlakha, "RRR is introducing audiences, and even filmmakers, to a different kind of movie-watching tradition, one they're not used to, which is why Hollywood filmmakers are embracing it as well." they have been attracted.

While the film's narrative style, direction, and cinematography drew audiences, the timing also helped the film's popularity. “RRR is at the top,” says Elaine Lowe, a television presenter. From theaters to Netflix to homes, this is the movie people want to watch over and over again.

Although RRR is not India's official entry to the Oscars, it fell short of the Gujarati-language film Chilo Show, but the film's popularity has put it in the running for a nomination. Many Hollywood directors and celebrities call it an "explosive movie."

The trade magazine Variety predicted that the film could be nominated in several categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Song. Lowy says India's decision not to submit RRR in the international film category was a sea change by Hollywood heavyweights that forced many people to sit up and pay attention.

"In the film, 'buzz' is a big thing," Louie says. And RRR has become part of the everyday conversation. On weekends, at parties. Everyone asks 'Did you see RRR?' For many in the West, the film is new and exciting, as franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Fast and Furious have dominated the US box office in recent years.

"When blockbuster movies start to feel like factory products, a movie as heartfelt and well-made as RRR is sure to break records," says Adlakha. One of the most prominent scenes in the film is when the heroes meet for the first time, showing them riding a horse and motorcycle before rescuing a boy trapped in a fire.

"American audiences are generally not used to these kinds of scenes, but this movie is so well made that anyone from any cultural background feels connected to it," says Adlakha.

It's also a representation of what people outside of India expect from Bollywood and Tollywood (Telugu) movies, Lowi says. So many scenes, so many actors, so much action, and so much emotion but not everyone has been watching it over and over again.

RRR's success in India is no surprise, Rajamouli was already a household name, with high expectations for his new film thanks to his first blockbuster Film bahu Bulli.

But the movie received average reviews from various critics. Writer and film critic Soumya Rajendran says that cinema as a medium in India has become politicized. But Western audiences see RRR as "an anti-great empire narrative because that's the politics they understand."

Well, the debate will continue, but one thing is for sure: Rajamouli and his team have broken barriers both inside and outside the Indian film industry. And this may just be the beginning. Rajamouli's next move may be to make a Hollywood movie, which he says is "the dream of every filmmaker in the world."