For months, Americans have had to make do with watching a live leopard hurled at an imperial guard on Netflix. But now, the Hollywood Theatre is bringing the beloved Indian blockbuster RRR out of the streaming doldrums so Portlanders can appreciate it on the big screen.
On Monday, Jan. 16, the theater will screen the acclaimed film, which is a Telugu-language epic about India’s battle for independence from Britain during the 1920s. Not only is it the highest-grossing film in its home market of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but it has become a serious player in the Oscar race.
Despite RRR’s historical precedent, the film is best known for its...indulgences. In fact, WW film critic Chance Solem-Pfeifer (who picked it as his ninth-favorite film of the year) described it as more of a superhero film than a fact-based drama.
“With unchecked spirit and spectacle, this Tollywood action extravaganza chronicles the bond of two friends—more or less depicted as fire and water demigods—who lead the Indian independence movement,” he wrote.
Tickets for RRR are now on sale. Get ’em fast; that leopard’s pretty rad.