• New York Film Critics Circle awards best director award to SS Rajamouli for "RRR"

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    New York Film Critics Circle awards best director award to SS Rajamouli for "RRR"
    'RRR,' a fictional pre-independence story, stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR as real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s...

    Digital Desk: As filmmaker SS Rajamouli's film "RRR" continues to make headlines in the Western markets, he is also won the best director award at the New York Film Critics Circle. The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) announced the awards on its social media platforms on Friday night. 

    The official "RRR" Twitter account also announced Rajamouli's triumph at the film gala. "@SSRajamouli has been named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle! @NYFCC Words cannot express how pleased and thrilled we are... We sincerely thank the judges for recognising #RRRMovie." read the tweet

    "RRR," a pre-Independence fictitious narrative, stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR as real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem in the 1920s. 

    Jr NTR praised Rajamouli on Twitter, saying the filmmaker's win at the NYFCC signals the start of his "road to worldwide stardom." "It's time for the world to know what I've known about you all along," he continued. 

    "RRR," which was released in theatres in March, grossed nearly Rs 1,200 crore at the global box office. The Hindi version of the film debuted on Netflix on May 20 and quickly became the most popular Indian film on the streaming service worldwide.

    As the film gained traction in foreign markets, it received accolades from Hollywood's who's who, including Edgar Wright, "Doctor Strange" director Scott Derrickson and writer C Robert Cargill, Joe Dante of "Gremlins" fame, "Guardians of the Galaxy" films director James Gunn, "Dune" screenwriter Jon Spaihts, filmmaker Christopher Miller, and "The Gray Man" directors Anthony and Joe Russo. 

    According to entertainment news outlet Variety, "RRR" is being distributed in the United States by Variance Films, which has made a significant campaign to have the film recognised in the general categories, including best picture.

    The Best Picture winner was Todd Field's "Tar," with lead actress Cate Blanchett taking home the Best Actress prize. The New York Film Critics Circle also announced the winners for other categories. 

    Colin Farrell won the Best Actor award for his roles in Martin McDonagh's "The Banshees of Inisherin" and Kogonada's "After Yang." Keke Palmer, the star of "Nope," earned the Best Supporting Actress award, while "Everything Everywhere All At Once" actor Ke Huy Quan took up the Best Supporting Actor honour.