The movies starring N.T. Rama Rao Jr. as Komaram Bheem and Ram Charan as Alluri Sitarama Raju, is a fictional story about the two Indian revolutionaries, whose contributions are lesser-known.

These freedom fighters from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (the region, as referred today), stood up against the British Raj, for their people. S.S. Rajamouli shared that RRR is a story of the time in their lives, which we know nothing about – it’s about what could’ve been if the two had met and bonded. This fictional tale is set in the 1920’s.

In reality, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem fought for the rights of tribal communities in their regions. 

Alluri Sitarama Raju was born in 1897, into a humble middle-class family in a small village near the Coastal city of Visakhapatnam. He led the Rampa Rebellion in 1922, opposing the 1882 Madras Forest Act. He was always keen on fighting the oppression of the Britishers. 

Incidents from his life highlight the patriotism that he had developed over time – with his intent on fighting against the British rule and helping his people. 

Followed by the death of his father, Sitarama Raju went on a pilgrimage and toured the Western, North-Western, North and North-eastern India during his teens. He even began working among the tribal communities, while also motivating them to stand up against the British police, forest and revenue officials. The ‘hero of the forest’ was captured and killed in May 1924.

Komaram Bheem, was born in 1901 at the Adilabad district of Telangana. He was a member of the Gond community and had to be on a move constantly. Bheem even fled from Sankepalli after his father was killed by forest officials, for asserting Adivasi rights. 

A Nizam official, harassing the Gonds for taxes had died at the hands of Komaram Bheem, which forced him to run away to Chandrapur where he started working at a printing press that published a magazine against the British and Nizam.

In later years, he travelled to Assam, after he fled from jail and worked in tea plantations for four-and-half years, where he protested against plantation owners for workers’ rights. It was the early 1900s, when he started a rebellion against the last Nizam of Hyderabad and the oppression of local landowners. According to an account by a journalist, he was killed in October 1940.

These freedom fighters led their lives for their people. They sacrificed their lives for the nation so that we could live in a free and independent India. RRR is one film, among others that give us some detail of who they were and what they did for the country. Salute to them!

Also Read: How Much Do You Know About Our Brave Freedom Fighters? Take This Quiz To Find Out