British Historian Objects ‘RRR’; Gets Trolled!

This year’s biggest blockbuster ‘RRR’ received international accolades. Even Hollywood actors, writers, critics and directors have called ‘RRR’ one of the best films of 2022. Yet ‘RRR’ hasn’t stopped breaching boundaries. In October, ‘RRR’ will get a theatrical release in Japan and shortly a while back a formal announcement was made.

Just when we can feel content of ‘RRR’ outreach, here is a British Historian who found everything wrong with the movie and in his article, he wrote that the British played an important role in the world over the last few centuries. The historian is identified as Robert Tombs and he mentioned that “The portrayal of the two main British characters, ‘Governor Scott’ and his wife, is unusually nasty and at the same time amazingly silly.”

Robert Tombs made an interesting revelation that in the 1920s, which is ‘RRR’ time period, India was mostly run by Indians, under fairly distant British supervision. He further adds that films like RRR do not reveal some hidden truth about the past but try to stir up synthetic emotions. The main purpose is to entertain and make money.

Not stopping here Robert correlated ‘RRR’ with the BJP government that is ruling the country. “RRR panders to the reactionary and violent Hindu nationalism that is coming to dominate Indian culture and politics, fanned by the Modi government,” quoted Robert in his article in The Spectator. Not sparing Netflix for promoting ‘RRR’ highly on its platform, Robert opined that the OTT medium should be ashamed of itself.

Though Robert has knowledge that ‘RRR’ is a factional story, he defended the British Raj/rule in India. He feels that the British have long been fair game and usually they shrug this one-sided approach in films or in the entertainment space.

This article shared on social media received two and half thousands quotes and hundreds of comments against the Brits. Netizens (mostly Indians) who read Robert Tomb’s article reacted in appropriate manner reciting the British Raj/rule even in the modern day. One netizen shared a picture of Prince Williams and Duchess Kate who were being carried on palanquin by tribals but this picture is 10 years old.

History is all about arguments these days as there are many theories. But the rule of the British in India is something that can’t be written off. There were many incidents or should we call, atrocities that the history or say the people will not forget.