Sag Harbor Cinema Screens Indian Musical Epic ‘RRR’ Followed by an Indian Buffet

On Sunday, January 8, at 3 p.m., Sag Harbor Cinema will host a special screening of “RRR,” the blockbuster Tollywood (films in the Telugu language) epic that is captivating American audiences and critics alike. Leading up to the Oscar nominations, the film has already garnered the Best Director Award from the New York Critics Circle, two Golden Globes Nominations and the Best Original Score Award by the LA Film Critics Association. A master of epic action, fantasy, larger than life historical pieces and musicals, the director S.S. Rajamouli will be joining SHC’s founding artistic director Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan for a Q&A via Zoom, following the screening.

Saaz, the renowned Indian restaurant in Southampton, is co-sponsoring this special afternoon, with a variation of their famous buffet, offered on the third floor after the screening and Q&A. Tickets can be purchased on the Cinema’s website. Tickets including the buffet will be available for $30.

“A true cinematic roller coaster with its blend of spectacle, action, comedy, music, heart and irreverence, ‘RRR’ takes the Hollywood blockbuster to task,” says D’Agnolo Vallan. “S.S. Rajamouli’s explosive creative vision can only be properly experienced on the big screen. I am so excited to be able to share this film with our audience, with Rajamouli joining us to discuss his work. And I am very grateful to Saaz, whose generous contribution will ensure an even more special afternoon.

“RRR” — which stands for “Rise, Roar, Revolt” — propels the real life story of two legendary Indian revolutionaries in a fictionalized sensational adventure which brings them together to fight the British colonialists of the 1920s. The Tollywood film will be screened in its original language of Telugu, making it an even rarer experience on the big screen. The action sequences, musical numbers and visual effects are dazzling, not a surprise given that “RRR” is the most expensive film in Indian history.

Frequently listed as one of 2022’s best films, in an article published by The Irish Times, Donald Clarke called it “one of the year’s unstoppable cultural phenomena.”

John Powers, of NPR, advocates it as a reason to get back to going to movie theaters, saying, “Made by box-office titan S.S. Rajamouli, ‘RRR’ induces such unabashed giddiness in its audience that Hollywood is witnessing a push to get it nominated for the Oscars. Forget Best International Feature Film, folks are talking Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor. And having seen ‘RRR’ twice myself, I’m part of the bandwagon.”

Tickets for all screenings of the film are available at sagharborcinema.org. Sag Harbor Cinema is at 90 Main Street in Sag Harbor.

“RRR”

Dir. S.S Rajamouli

India, 2022; 182 mins., in Telugu

Rated PG-13

“RRR” is the story of freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju , played by Tollywood stars N.T. Rama Rao and Ram Charan. It centers around the two real-life Indian revolutionaries, their fictional friendship and their fight against the British Raj. Set in the 1920s, the plot explores the undocumented period in their lives when both the revolutionaries chose to go into obscurity before they began the fight for their country.