How RRR’s screenwriting helps it transcend global boundaries
Read about the mythical grammar, rooted relationships & mass origins of RRR
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There is much speculation about why RRR has managed to cross boundaries the way it has, and gone global in a way that is decidedly unprecedented for an Indian film. Much of this can be credited to SS Rajamouli’s boundless creativity with his action sequences, as well as the technical prowess of the immaculately-produced special effects that helped elevate it to compete in the global market.
But these action sequences work only because of their dramatic context which emanate from the screenplay of RRR and its peculiarities. RRR is a product of the Indian masala films, ala Sholay, old Telugu mythological cinema, Mel Gibson-esque Hollywood Spectacle, as well as Telugu “mass” films. It only follows that this sort of maximalist storytelling has a maximalist grammar; a mythical grammar.
The mythical grammar of RRR, and Aristotle’s Poetics
In perhaps the oldest codified text on the rules of Drama, Aristotle categorizes epic poetry and plays, the film-equivalents of his time, into Comedies and Tragedies, and he considers Tragedy as the more substantial art form. In contrast to most modern screenwriting and playwriting books, he emphasises the importance of plot over character—a preference RRR arguably shares.
Strikingly, Aristotle points to three characteristic scenes of the classical Tragedy—the reversal of the situation, the recognition, and the Scene of Suffering, all of which feature distinctly in RRR.
Reversal of a Situation
The Reversal of a situation, he describes, as “a change by which the action veers round to its opposite” citing the example in Oedipus Rex when the messenger comes to Oedipus thinking that he bears good news, but ends up revealing to him his mother’s identity, which leads to his fatal torment. In RRR, there are several reversals—Malli is abducted by the Scotts after a pleasant evening of song, Raju and Bheem meeting when they seem to be at their individual lowest points, Ramaraju changing his mind about his rigid revolutionary convictions after listening to Bheem’s song, Komaram Bheemudo.
Recognition
Komaram Bheemudo is also a scene of Recognition. As Aristotle describes it, Recognition is” a change from ignorance to knowledge, producing love or hate between the persons destined by the poet for good or bad fortune.” Ramaraju recognizes Bheem’s revolutionary potential after seeing his song move a mob into protest, and this changes his own previously rigid revolutionary convictions. Aristotle goes on to assert that “The best form of Recognition is coincident with a Reversal of the Situation”, which is precisely what the Komaram Bheemudo sequence is— both a Recognition and a Reversal. Another scene of Recognition—when Bheem learns Raju’s true identity after his encounter with Sita: both these scenes of recognition cause the characters to love and respect each other, forming the film’s central emotional bond.
Scene of Suffering
The Mythical Scene of Suffering doubles as Reversal of a Situation, and Ramaraju recognising Bheem (Courtesy: Disney+Hotstar)
Komaram Bheemudo is also a Scene of Suffering, what Aristotle describes as ” a destructive or painful action, such as death on the stage, bodily agony, wounds and the like” (With definite similarities to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.). Aristotle points out that the classical Tragedy focuses on evoking two emotions: pity and fear. These are definitely evoked by both Komaram Bheemudo as well as the “Interval Bang” sequence, both of which also follow another central Aristotelian suggestion closely—”If an enemy kills an enemy, there is nothing to excite pity…but when the tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to one another—if, for example, a brother kills, or intends to kill, a brother, a son his father, a mother her son, a son his mother, or any other deed of the kind is done—these are the situations to be looked for by the poet”. It is precisely this that happens in both these scenes, after the film spends a substantial amount of time developing the central relationship between the two heroes.
Rooted Relationship Dynamics and RRR’s Mass origins
Something that differentiates RRR in the global market is also the rootedness of the relationship dynamics—centrally, that of the two leads. The way Ramaraju and Bheem are unrestrained in their affection towards one another reflects this: think of the way Raju asks his uncle not to afflict Bheem with “dishti” or “nazar” while looking affectionately at him, and of course, the brotherly bonding that is displayed so flamboyantly in Naatu Naatu and Dosti. This is a dynamic that reflects its South Asian cultural roots, as opposed to the West, where there is an ironic distance in male friendships (Think of the MCU’s humorous undercutting of emotions with jokes).
(Courtesy: Disney+Hotstar)
This rooted emotional grammar also arises from RRR’s constitutive DNA and Rajamouli’s roots in the South Indian “Mass” star vehicles. This is where its over-the-top action and emotional intensity stems from, only here, the reference to the stars’ real-life identities are removed, and the aesthetics transposed to mythologize two regional revolutionaries: Alluri Sitarama Raju from Andhra and Komaram Bheem from Telangana. If Chiranjeevi or Rajnikanth make flamboyant entrances in Tamil and Telugu star vehicles, historical figures Bheem and Ramaraju do so in RRR, one fighting a tiger, and the other, single-handedly besting a mob of hundreds.
Ultimately, RRR is a potpourri of many genres, and isn’t constrained by fears of tonal asynchronicity. Whether you’re an admirer of its craft or not, its success should embolden more writers to be unrestrained when it comes to leaning into diverse tones, genres, and cultural specificity. It utilizes storytelling techniques that are ancient as well as modern, that are universal as well as culturally specific, encouraging writers to broaden their palette.
- Authored by Itihása’s Editorial Team
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