‘RRR’ Is a Big Success for India’s Other Movie Factory: Tollywood

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‘RRR’ Is a Big Success for India’s Other Movie Factory: Tollywood

India's film industry is one of the biggest in the world, producing on average 2,000 movies a year. But few of them become popular among Western moviegoers.

Indian film director S.S. Rajamouli calls that a "disappointment."

"We have a long tradition of storytelling in India. We have probably the oldest and most colorful stories," Rajamouli said. "Not being able to travel across borders has been a disappointment," he said of his limited success in foreign markets.

Things might have changed, however, with Rajamouli's new movie RRR. The three-hour-long Telugu-language action film is one of India's biggest hits ever. It has also climbed box-office rankings in the United States.

And it has found bigger popularity¹ on the streaming service Netflix. For nine weeks, RRR has ranked among the top 10 non-English language films on Netflix. It is currently² one of the top 10 most popular films in 62 countries. The film is available in 15 languages on Netflix.

RRR is based on Hindu mythology³ and the freedom fighters who fought British colonialism. For many people, RRR is their first experience with Tollywood, the Telugu movie industry center. For some, it might even be their first time watching an Indian film.

Tollywood, Bollywood and others make up India's huge film industry. The names are meant to sound like the U.S. moviemaking center, Hollywood.

RRR has some special effects that make the film similar to a Hollywood superhero movie. But it is also deeply connected to Indian mythology and present-day conditions.

RRR stands for "Rise Roar⁴ Revolt⁵." It also refers to Rajamouli and his two stars, N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram⁶ Charan. This is Charan and Rao's first film together. Both come from highly⁷ successful families in the movie industry.

They play real-life Indian revolutionaries who team up in 1920s British-controlled India.

In returning to the beginnings of modern-day India, RRR relates to the nationalism of today's India.

The 48-year-old Rajamouli has risen to become one of the country's best-known directors. He launched⁸ his two-part Baahubali epic⁹ in 2015. The second part, which appeared in 2017, is the country's biggest box-office hit.

Baahubali was a Telugu hit. It was also the costliest¹⁰ Telugu film ever made, with a budget of $72 million. Its success was a sign that Tollywood in India's South had possibly passed Bollywood as the country's top movie factory.

Rajamouli called the worldwide popularity of RRR a surprise to him. The director is now working on his next film. He is often asked about whether he would ever want to make a Hollywood movie. RRR, however, suggests that Western moviegoers are interested in Indian films. And Rajamouli's aim is to make Indian films for India -- and the world.

"Because of the success of ‘RRR' with Western audiences," Rajamouli said, "I am trying to make a film for the entire world."

Words in This Story

disappointment –n. something that happens which leaves a person dissatisfied¹¹ or unhappy

box-office –adj. describing the sales of movie tickets

ranking –n. (often pl.) a list of people or things that is put in order of some quality the most popular, numerous¹², or something else

mythology –n. the ancient stories of a culture

roar –v. to make a loud sound like an animal such as a lion or tiger

epic –n. a very long book, movie or poem

1 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

2 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

3 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

4 roar   

n.吼，咆哮，轰鸣，喧闹；vi.吼叫，大声说出，喧闹；vt.呼喊，使轰鸣

参考例句：

• He began to roar when I took the chocolate away. 当我把巧克力拿走时，他大哭起来。
• The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight.机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。

5 revolt   

n.叛乱，反抗，反感；v.叛乱，起反感，使...恶心

参考例句：

• The revolt was suppressed in a matter of hours.叛乱在几小时之内就平息下去了。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

6 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

7 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

8 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

9 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

10 costliest   

adj.昂贵的( costly的最高级 )；代价高的；引起困难的；造成损失的

参考例句：

• At 81 billion dollars, Katrina is the costliest natural disaster in American history. “卡特里娜”飓风造成了近810亿美圆的损失，是美国历史上最严重的自然灾难之一。 来自互联网
• Senator John Kerry has proposed a tax on the costliest health plans sold by insurance companies. 参议员约翰？克里(JohnKerry)已经提议对保险公司销售的高价值的保险计划征税。 来自互联网

11 dissatisfied   

a.不满的

参考例句：

• If you are dissatisfied with our service, please write to the manager. 对我们的服务如有不满，请函告经理。
• There was a dissatisfied look in the magager's eyes. 经理的眼睛里露出不满的神色。

12 numerous   

adj.为数众多的；极多的

参考例句：

• There have been numerous exchanges of views between the two governments.两国政府间曾多次交换意见。
• There are numerous people in the square. 有许多人在广场上。