SS Rajamouli reveals why RRR has done so well in the west: 'The whole world started looking into...'

SS Rajamouli has opened up on the reason behind his latest film RRR has been such a phenomenon in the west, particularly in the US.

SS Rajamouli’s RRR has been a revelation for the west. The film was released in theatres in India back in March but it wasn’t until a few months later that the western world woke up to it. It began with the digital release on Netflix and soon snowballed into the film developing a cult following in US and beyond. In a recent interview, the filmmaker himself opened up on why that is the case.

Jr NTR and Ram Charan in a still from SS Rajamouli's RRR.

Ever since its Netflix release, RRR has garnered praise from Hollywood elite like James Gunn and Danny DeVito as well as common fans all around the globe. Its special screenings in the US and Canada have been sold out, and there is an Oscars campaign underway after several publications named the film a favourite for categories like Best Picture.

Talking about the massive hype, SS Rajamouli told Empire magazine, “I myself am surprised. India has a huge diaspora around the world, and I thought the film would do good wherever Indian audiences were. But then the reception started coming from Westerners. I didn’t expect any of this.”

The filmmaker does add that Covid-19 may have played a role in the film’s popularity. “When everything got shut down, the whole world started looking into different cultures, absorbing content from different countries, in different languages,” Rajamouli added. He also attributed the success “RRR’s unapologetic action sequences; its unapologetic heroism” as a factor in its success in the West.

RRR has been particularly successful overseas, earning $25 million (over ₹200 crore) from outside India. This includes a gross of $14.5 million in the US alone and just under $4 million from the Middle East.