SS Rajamouli, the best director winner at the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards for "RRR", has thanked the organisation for appreciating his "small film from the south of India".
The filmmaker was named the recipient of the honour earlier last month and received the trophy in person on Wednesday evening at a gala held at TAO Downtown Restaurant in New York.
"RRR" is a fictionalised story around two real-life Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem, essayed by Ram Charan and Jr NTR, respectively.
"Receiving this award from you is a great honour. I really appreciate it. You have honoured my whole cast and crew and have made a lot of people take notice of a small film from the south of India. Many people don't know that such a field exists but because of this, now I am sure many people will look at it," Rajamouli said in his acceptance speech, the videos of which were shared by the official Twitter handle of "RRR".
The period action epic, which has amassed reported earnings of over ₹1,200 crore since its release last March, has received rave reviews not only at home but also from the who's who of world cinema including "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn and "Baby Driver" director Edgar Wright.
Rajamouli, in his speech, said he was overwhelmed with the love and appreciation the film has received.
Recalling his experience of watching James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" in a cinema hall, the director said he could see the same "joy" on the faces of the audiences while watching "RRR".
"The look on the audience's faces... It was pure joy, awe. We could look at their faces and know what they were thinking. Like 'what in the hell did we just witness!' This is exactly what I want from my audience... pure joy of watching the film in the theatre," he added.
The filmmaker, who is also vying for a Critics Choice Award in the best director category, said he is grateful to the cast and crew of "RRR" for helping him "achieve whatever successes I have had".
The award season will continue for the magnum opus as the film is also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards in best non-English language film and best original song - motion picture for "Naatu Naatu".
Besides, "RRR" has four more Critics Choice Award nominations — best picture, best foreign language film, best song and best visual effects.
"Naatu Naatu", the Telugu track from the blockbuster, also features in the Oscars shortlist announced last month. It is composed by veteran music director MM Keeravaani and penned by Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj.