CHENNAI: SS Rajamouli’s big-budget period actioner RRR continues to wow the West with houseful screenings happening even months after the release of the film. With a lot of weight thrown behind the movie, especially by the critics and celebrities in the West, the film, although not India’s official submission to the Academy Awards, is expected to make major inroads at the Oscars.
Now, the latest laurel to be bestowed on the film is that the New York Film Critics Circle has named Rajamouli as the Best Director for his work in the period drama. Last year, they named Jane Campion as the Best Director for her work in The Power of the Dog, which also won her an Academy Award the same year.
This award is seen as a major shot in the arm for team RRR, and its aspirations at the Academy Awards. Other major winners announced by the NYFCC include Cate Blanchett (Best Actress, Tar), Colin Farrel (Best Actor, After Yang and The Banshees of Inisherin), Ke Huy Quan (Best Supporting Actor, Everything Everywhere All At Once), and Claudio Miranda (Best Cinematography, Top Gun). The NYFCC was founded in 1935, and is constituted of critics from newspapers, magazines and online outlets. Awards will be handed out in New York in January.
A pre-Independence fictional story, the big-budget spectacle drama had received a tremendous response in India when it was released in March this year in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi. Rajamouli also has hits like Magadheera, Eega and two Baahubali movies to his credit.