LOS ANGELES — S.S. Rajamouli anticipated some applause. Maybe a few whistles from the South Asian viewers he'd spotted in the crowd. The biggest U.S. screening to date of his hit movie "RRR" had sold out in minutes online, but this was Hollywood, not Hyderabad. Would Americans curious about the word-of-mouth hype fall in love with "RRR" as passionately as moviegoers back home?
The veteran director wasn't sure what to expect as he arrived at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in late September for an IMAX screening of his three-hour period action epic — until a thundering standing ovation greeted him as he introduced the film. Then, as the movie began, so did cheers for actors Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr., two megastars of Tollywood, India's Telugu-language film industry. Before intermission, excited audience members raced to the front of the massive screen to dance along to the the viral "Naatu Naatu" musical sequence. By the closing scene, jubilant fans were jumping out of their seats for every hero moment.
Rajamouli took it all in from the middle of the theater, blown away.
