Jr. NTR and Ram Charan starrer RRR's international success marks a landmark for Tollywood

One of the largest and most diverse film industries in the world, India includes Bollywood, Tollywood, and other distinct sectors. However, only a small portion of the country's nearly 2,000 films made each year ever find a significant audience in the West. One of the movies that Hollywood audiences talk about the most these days is RRR. Moviegoers, Hollywood stars, and critics have been gushing about the movie, its aesthetics, cinematography, and other elements as it is currently streaming on OTT platforms.

In addition to becoming one of India's biggest box office successes ever, Rajamouli's RRR, a three-hour Telugu-language action epic, also rose to the top of the US box office rankings before reaching an even larger audience on Netflix. RRR has been one of the top 10 non-English language movies on the streaming platform for nine weeks in a row. RRR is the most watched Indian movie on Netflix ever, with subtitles in 15 different languages and a Hindi dub. It debuted in 62 different countries among the top 10 movies.

Many people's first exposure to Tollywood, the Telugu film industry, or Indian films, in general, is through the film RRR, which is based on Hindu mythology and the freedom fighters who resisted British oppression. Many people have seen a film that is jam-packed with extravagant action scenes and long dance numbers, as well as a level of excitement that modern Hollywood blockbusters rarely match.

Earlier in an interview, Rajamouli had spoken about the film’s success saying, “There is never enough for me. The only thing too much is my producer coming in and saying, ‘We’re crossing our budget. You need to stop somewhere.’ That is the only thing that will stop me. If given a chance, I will go even bigger and wilder, no doubt about it. To the brink, and nothing less.”