Perhaps a little surprisingly, RRR wasn’t India’s entry in the Best International Feature category at this year’s Academy Awards but it did receive a nomination for best song for the extremely catchy and infectious “Naatu Naatu,” with music by M. M. Keeravani and lyrics by Chandrabose. While it didn’t garner any other Oscar nominations, it’s still one of the most entertaining films of 2022. The screenplay by S. S. Rajamouli, who also directed, is an epic, melodramatic, action-packed, and fictionalized story of historical Indian figures Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan Teja) and Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.).

The sprawling film spans over three hours but with so much action going on, it hardly ever seems to lag and trying to describe its plot in a few sentences is difficult. But it does imagine a burgeoning friendship between Raju and Bheem before they became renowned revolutionaries and their shared loyalty, sense of duty, and heroism as they struggle against British colonialism. The totally over-the-top fight scenes are super-cool, with plenty of slo-mo to allow for the admiration of the intricate choreography interspersed with long lingering shots filled with thematic imagery. The direction and screenplay by Rajamouli and the actors’ performances aren’t exactly subtle but the sensational action and melodrama suit the film’s improbable sensibilities and are a ton of fun to watch.

RRR wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable without its fine music score to accompany the onscreen action, and in addition to “Naatu Naatu,” there are plenty of equally catchy songs and a majestic score to enrich the fantastic visuals. The music is mixed aggressively in Dolby Atmos with various instruments and vocals emanating from all around the room with great depth and width to the soundstage. There is often deep, ominous bass as sound effects swirl frantically in all directions, taking full advantage of the object-oriented mix to provide a totally holographic and immersive auditory experience. The Atmos soundtrack is only available in Hindi on Netflix (Canada), while English, Portuguese, and Spanish language soundtracks are available in Dolby 5.1. Make sure to choose the Atmos mix to fully enjoy this film if your system is equipped for it. Because this is the Hindi dub of the film, the version of the Oscar-nominated song is called “Naacho Naacho” but still sounds excellent. And if you have an Apple TV 4K connected to your system and subscribe to Apple Music, be sure to listen to the lossless Atmos version of the song available on the music streaming service for a real treat. The vocals and drums are mixed even more aggressively into all of the channels to provide an even more dizzying and intoxicating adrenaline rush even without the accompaniment of the amazing visuals of the film.

The cinematography is striking, with the many symbolic images bringing the director’s bold vision to life. However, the color grading is a bit on the faint side of things with many scenes having a slight yellowish hue. This results in many shots exhibiting a somewhat washed-out look, with bright colors and highlights not popping quite as much as I am used to with most Dolby Vision presentations. The sharpness and detail are a little variable and some of the CGI effects appear slightly soft, but I didn’t find this particularly distracting as I was constantly impressed by the wealth of daring imagery and the entertainingly fast pace of the film.

RRR may not have been India’s entry in the Academy Award International Feature category this year, but it is a hugely successful and highly accessible film that you don’t have to be a film connoisseur to enjoy. So check out this not so hidden gem of a film on Netflix if you haven’t already.