How Zelensky is involved in the Oscars: the producer of the film RRR, which was filmed in Ukraine, shares unexpected details

The most expensive Indian movie, RRR, which won the most prestigious Oscars and Golden Globes this year, was partially filmed in Ukraine. The filming took place on the grounds of the Mariinsky Palace, in Mezhyhirya and at a film studio near Kyiv.

The organizers of the filming process on the Ukrainian side say that the most difficult part was getting permission to work near the residence of the President of Ukraine, the Mariinsky Palace. Anna Palenchuk, the line producer of the Indian blockbuster filming in Ukraine (the project budget was estimated to be between $45 and $72 million), shared how they managed to come to an agreement. She told about it in an interview with OBOZREVATEL.

Anna Palenchuk says that before working on RRR, she had participated in six Indian films. "I knew about Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli, the country's most famous film director, who has directed three of the five highest-grossing Indian films. He is very famous in India, like Steven Spielberg in the world. My Indian partner, one of the best location scouts, Ramji Natarajan, worked with him. He was shooting with Rajamouli in Bulgaria for Bahubali, a large-scale Indian blockbuster. I also went there and dreamed that one day they would choose Ukraine to work with," says producer Palenchuk.

And in 2021, it happened. "When the film crew was looking for a location for RRR, we had to compete with Serbia, Georgia, and several other countries. But when Rajamouli saw our Mariinsky Palace, he said that this was the location he had imagined. And at that moment, I regretted that this was exactly how he imagined his location," Anna laughs, "and even tried to offer other places to work.

Palenchuk says that when the director learned that this was President Zelensky's residence, he was also shocked. "But we succeeded," he continues, "thanks to communication with the Office of the President of Ukraine, thanks to Mr. Zelensky himself, we did work there. I believe that part of the Oscar that this film received is also a merit of the Ukrainian president."

"RRR is the story of two revolutionaries who travel far from home before fighting for their country in the 1920s. Rolling Stone called RRR "the best and most revolutionary blockbuster of 2022", Variety added that the film is "more than a three-hour movie", and IndieWire said that the film will make even cynical viewers smile.

Read the full interview with Anna Palenchuk on OBOZREVATEL soon.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL wrote that actress Irma Vitovska explained why Ukrainian actors starred in TV series with Russians for a pittance.

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