SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ Bags Critics’ Choice Award

India’s RRR bagged two awards at the 28th Annual Critics’ Choice Award held on Sunday in Los Angeles – the best feature film in a foreign language and the best song. Directed by SS Rajamouli, the film features Jr NTR and Ram Charan in lead roles. Bollywood actors Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn have special roles in the film that was released in multiple languages in March 2022. The Critics’ Choice awards mark the fourth major international award for the film that has scored big at the box office and is also among the favorites among critics all over the world.

In his acceptance speech, Rajamouli thanked all the women in his life, naming his mother Rajnandini. “To all the women in my life, my mother Rajnandani. She thought school education was overrated and she encouraged me to read comics and story books. She encouraged my creativity. My sister-in-law Srivalli, who became like a mother to me, she always encourages me to be the best version of myself. My wife Rama, she is a costume designer of my films but more than that she is the designer of my life. If she was not there, I would not have been here today. To my daughters – they don’t do anything – their smile is enough to light up my life. Finally, to my motherland, India, Bharat. Thank you!”

Hours after the announcement, Rajamouli was delighted to meet James Cameron and shared pictures with the Avatar director on Twitter. Rajamouli revealed that the Hollywood filmmaker watched his latest film, recommended it to his wife Suzy, and watched it again with her. He also thanked Cameron in the post.

RRR was nominated in five categories – best picture, best director, best foreign language film, best visuals and best song (for Naatu Naatu). RRR released worldwide last year in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English, Kannada and Malayalam and created box-office history right from day one. The film has grossed $175 million worldwide.

Ever since India chose Pan Nalin’s The Last Show to represent India at the Academy Awards, US distributors of the RRR, Variance Films, launched a full-throttle awards campaign in the US. Earlier this month, India scored their first Golden Globe as musician MM Keeravani bagged the Golden Globe for the Best Original song in a Feature Film, He bagged the award for his song Naatu Naatu from Rajamouli’s RRR.

Prior to the Golden Globe, Rajamouli had bagged the Best Director award for RRR at the New York Film Critics Circle awards.

RRR is set in the pre-independent India of the 1920s and tells the tale of friendship between two revolutionaries and freedom fighters – Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Charan played Raju, Jr. NTR essayed the role of Bheem in the film. British actors Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody and Olivia Morris are also part of the cast. The film gained popularity in India and worldwide, for the grandeur of the sets and energetic aura of the story and narration.