Jr NTR in skull cap to multiple release dates, 5 times SS Rajamouli's RRR made headlines

Ahead of RRR's release on March 25, here's a look at the times when the SS Rajamouli film grabbed attention. The film stars Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn.

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli's RRR is set to hit the theatres tomorrow, March 25. The film, starring Jr NTR and Ram Charan in the lead roles, has been embroiled in several controversies and also had multiple release dates.

Here are some reasons RRR managed to hit the headlines:

Ahead of RRR's release, netizens in Karnataka have been trending #BoycottRRRinKarnataka on Twitter. They blamed the makers of RRR for not allotting many shows for the Kannada version of the film. They are extremely unhappy with SS Rajamouli and the team of RRR for giving less preference to the Kannada version of the film.

RRR is one of the most-anticipated films of 2022. Due to the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19, RRR was postponed multiple times. Earlier, the film was supposed to hit the theatres on July 26, 2020. Later, it was postponed to January 8, 2021. However, the dates were again changed and shifted to October 13, 2021. But due to the aftermath of the second wave, in October the makers announced the film would hit cinemas on January 7, 2022. Later, they announced that the film has been postponed indefinitely due to restrictions on cinema due to the pandemic. The film again became the talk of the town when the makers shared two tentative release dates, March 18 and April 28, 2022. However, they finally opted to release the film on March 25.

RRR promo, which was released in November 2020, courted controversy and took social media by storm. The period film set in the 1920s is a fictional story based on the lives of freedom fighters, Alluri Seetharama Raju and Komaram Bheem. In the promo, Jr NTR was seen depicted as a Muslim wearing a skull cap and soorma. Telangana's Siddipet (TS) BJP State President and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay considered it offensive. Later, the trailer of RRR, however, did not have the scene in which Jr NTR is depicted as a Muslim.

SS Rajamouli has reportedly directed one of the most expensive films ever made in India with RRR. Earlier, when RRR was officially announced in 2018, producer DVV Danayya revealed that the film's budget stands between Rs 400 to Rs 450 crore. However, the film's shooting and release were delayed multiple times due to the pandemic, resulting in the increase in budget and interest rates.

Everyone was taken by surprise when the makers of RRR announced two release dates for their much-awaited film. The announcement did not go down well with the makers of upcoming Bollywood films and were irked Rajamouli announcing the dates without consulting any of the producers.