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Ram Charan, director SS Rajamouli, and Jr NTR at India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News

Being part of a movie like ‘RRR’ is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but getting that movie into Expo 2020 Dubai is another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, declared the stars of the movie who jetted into the UAE for a media and fan interaction on March 18.

“A lot of my family members have attended this Expo and I was a little jealous when kept telling me about this Expo... It’s an absolute honour,” said actor Ram Charan in a press interaction at the India Pavilion.

He was joined by iconic actor Jr NTR and director SS Rajamouli, whose credits include the mammoth blockbuster ‘Baahubali’ series. His new film ‘RRR’ is set in the pre-Independence era and is about two rebels with a worthy cause. It will release across the UAE on March 25 in three languages — Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil.

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The trio discussed their upcoming movie 'RRR' at the media event. Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News

Both the actors claimed that working with their idol and mentor Rajamouli again in their careers was one of the most creatively satisfying experiences.

“When you work with a director like Rajamouli, you are pretty committed in your head, and you know it’s going to take time … It took time to deliver ‘Baahubali’ and it took us time with ‘RRR’ too. We shot a 25-minute interval scene for 65 days straight. That’s the kind of commitment you need when you work with a director like Rajamouli,” said actor Jr NTR. But the end goal?

“We knew that we were going to make something phenomenal like ‘RRR’ and we re-started this glory of Indian cinema where you have two big stars or a multi-starrer,” said Jr NTR.

But director Rajamouli was quick to point out that it’s not the stars or the budgets that ultimately work for good cinema.

“The story should have an emotional connect and that’s very important,” Rajamouli pointed out.

Following the press interaction, the famous trio displayed their connection to their huge South Indian movie-fan base by indulging in a fun fan interaction at the Jubilee Stage. Hundreds of movie-mad Indians gathered to watch their favourite matinee idols in action.

Made on a whopping budget of $6 million, the film also stars Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn.

Read the full interview in Gulf News tabloid soon.