Kolkata: It was a humid morning in Kolkata on Tuesday. But Dilnawaz, Sumit and Saket did not mind sweating in the heat. For the past one hour, they had been waiting for their favourite hero — Ram Charan Teja — to arrive at Chotelal Ki Ghat, near the famous Mullik Ghat flower market in Howrah. You name his films — Magadheera, Yevadu, Betting Raja and Naayak and they have watched it all. Of course, all dubbed in Hindi. Amidst the hustle-bustle of the crowd that visit the ghat every morning, entered Ram Charan, son of superstar Chiranjeevi, with director SS Rajamouli and Jr NTR to promote the magnum opus RRR. Overlooking the iconic Howrah Bridge, they posed for the shutterbugs.
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Interestingly, RRR has a connection with Bengal. Addressing the press along with Jr NTR, Ram Charan at Chotelal Ki Ghat, the Baahubali director said, “Our film is set in pre-Independent India and revolves around two legendary freedom fighters — Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem played by Ram Charan and Jr NTR respectively. During the time of developing the script, we had three options to place our film — Delhi, Kolkata and Lahore. But for different reasons, we had to shift the story to Delhi.”
In fact, Rajamouli, who worked with Ram Charan in Magadheera, also mentioned how RRR has a connection with Netaji. “When Netaji came to Visakhapatnam, he communicated to the world about Alluri Seetharama Raju,” said the director during his brief Kolkata tour.
Ram Charan admitted that working with Rajamouli needed a bit more hardwork. He also said that the director came to the set with his homework done. “We had a little bit of homework but Rajamouli had done a lot of homework. Working on RRR was smooth,” he said.
Rajamouli’s films promise a lot of VFX and action. Jr NTR said RRR has “spellbinding action”. “Action is an important element in a Rajamouli film. RRR is an emotional movie and Rajamouli has given utmost importance to the action,” said Jr NTR, grandson of NT Rama Rao.
Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion starring Prabhas was a game changer in the Indian cinema. It established the concept of pan-Indian releases. So is Rajamouli feeling any pressure with RRR? To this, the director has a hearty laugh and said, “When people are looking forward to seeing your film, it’s not pressure but pleasure.”
For Rajamouli, when it comes to filmmaking, language doesn’t matter. However, he is most comfortable in Telugu. “I think in Telugu, and hence I like to make films in this language. Ideally, I want my audience not to hear the sound and look at the visuals and get the story. If I can achieve that, it will be my biggest achievement,” he signs off.
Rajamouli’s RRR is set to release in cinemas on March 25 worldwide in 3D. Continuing their tour across different cities of the country, the team left for Varanasi after visiting Kolkata. RRR also starring Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, and Olivia Morris will also become the first Indian film to release in Dolby Cinema.
