#malli

[enigma-the-mysterious]

Ram: I have been a trained soldier since I was like 13 and I am normal

Bheem:

Lacchu:

Babai:

Seetha:

Ram: Why aren't you guys saying anything?

[sketchy-nick]

I'm gonna huff about it!

[that--unusual-person]

my girlssss

[eowyntheavenger]

I didn’t realize the meaning of this the first time I saw it, but Malli is painting a peacock:

Her song mentions a nightingale, and while she’s signing, a cuckoo comes and sings in the tree nearby.

The birds symbolize Malli, belonging in the forest but taken by the governor’s wife for her voice and locked in a cage.

This breaks my heart!!!

Both times we see her being forced to sing for the British women and do henna on their hands, she’s using a feather. (Notice how in the second shot her smile is gone and she’s wearing Western clothes.)

When Bheem rescues her and brings her home, she’s perched on his shoulder like a little bird, smiling again. Then she runs to her mother, finally free.

The last time we see Catherine Buxton, there’s a closeup of her hand dripping with blood:

The red henna foreshadowed this moment, and I think it’s also a metaphor for how the white women who colonized India had blood on their hands just like the men did.

The attention to detail in this movie is literally amazing.

[no-fury-like-a-thrown-bike]

RRR Wanted Poster Transcripts

I think a lot (if not all) of this information is already floating around in various places, but I thought it might be useful (not least for my memory lmaoo). We have ages and names for Bheem, Malli and the Pashas, and a height and weight for Bheem. And also the fact that his beard being scruffy is apparently canon.

Now in 4k and with Malli's poster and the bottom of Bheem's properly transcribed (and a better image for the Pashas) thanks to @belligerentmistletoe! :D

Bheem

Wanted Kumram Bheem alias Akthar Reward Rs. 10,000 for information regarding the whereabouts of this criminal, Kumram Bheem. The criminal was last seen in the forest 20km north west of Agra. Description Kumram Bheem is 26–27 years old. He is about 5'8", and about 75 Kg. He is most likely to be seen with a scruffy beard and scars from severe wounds from all over his body. The convict is accompanied by an 8 year old girl. The Governor of Delhi hereby decrees that this man is wanted by the Government, and that anybody who is caught withholding valuable information regarding this criminal will be punished for treason against the crown. Signed (Scott Buxton) Governor of Delhi Province [Coat of arms of the United Kingdom on the left]

Malli

Wanted Mallamma aka Malli An 8 year old tribal girl, is wanted by the Police. Distinguishing features :- Dark skin, large eyes, has a wound on her forehead Anybody with information regarding her whereabouts is ordained to come forward Signed (Scott Buxton) Governor of Delhi Province [Coat of arms of the United Kingdom on the left]

The Pasha Family

Wanted Ahmed Pasha (50 years old) Fatima Mirza (45 years old) Mehreen Pasha (16 years old) are on the run from the Delhi Police. The charges against them include harbouring a dangerous criminal and sedition. Valuable information leading to this family's capture will be appreciated by the authorities. Signed (Scott Buxton) Governor of Delhi Province [Coat of arms of the United Kingdom on the left]

[ambiguous-sanskars]

Post-canon fic where Ram fulfills his promise to protect Bheem and they finally talk about the whipping scene. Sequel fic to this one. Hope y'all like it!

Read on AO3

Ram had been trying, unsuccessfully, to apologize for seven months now.

With Scott’s death and the ordeal of Bheem and Malli’s captivity behind them, they had managed to return to their loved ones and create some semblance of a home as they continued the seemingly endless fight for independence. Sita, who had trained by Ram’s side since childhood, turned out to be an even more skilled marksman than Ram; she quickly took charge of instructing their fellow rebels in rifle technique and maintenance. 

Jenny, too, had come back with them. Her courage proved invaluable as she planned and executed back-to-back espionage operations into various British strongholds, accompanied by a handful of comrades posing as “servants.”

After Ram’s scare with the deadly snake, Bheem had taken a special interest in training everyone in the ways of the forest - how to hunt, how to hide, what plants were safe to eat, what herbs were medicinal, how to find potable water, and how to recognize venoms and formulate antivenoms.

Seeing the responsibility that had weighed so heavily on him for so long shared among many capable hands, Ram’s burden was finally eased. Unfortunately, this left him with more time than ever to sit around and think about what he had done.

Several nights a week, he would wake up screaming - sometimes for Sita or Jenny, but mostly for Bheem. They would all rush in to comfort him, to prove to him that they were alive and well, to light the lamps and show him that there was no blood on his hands.

Ram figured he might believe them if he could get Bheem to forgive him. But every time he so much as took Bheem’s name with that intent, Bheem would see right through him and avert the conversation.

It would be one thing, Ram thought, if Bheem just didn’t want to forgive him. The idea that Bheem did not even consider him guilty was unbearable.

One afternoon found Ram particularly unable to concentrate on strategic work. He set his notebook aside and picked up his rifle, intending to exhaust his restless mind into submission by joining whatever drill Sita had designed to push the trainees to their limit today. 

He walked to the living room and sat on the couch to lace up his boots. In their tiny kitchen, Bheem was helping Malli with her math homework as he rolled out dough for rotis. On the woodstove sat a pressure cooker.

“What’s in the cooker?” Ram called.

“Bheem-anna is making dal for dinner!” Malli replied.

“Malli, concentrate,” Bheem chastised. “So to do this sum, you need to carry the one-”

“Bheema,” Ram said, walking up to the kitchen doorway.

“Annayya?”

“I’m going to the training field. Make sure you put the pressure regulator on the cooker, okay?” Ram indicated the small metal weight by the sink.

“Yes, Annayya.”

***

When Ram came home a few hours later, he knew instantly that something was wrong. There was nothing in particular that gave it away, just a gut feeling so intense that Ram thought he might pass out.

In the kitchen, Bheem and Malli were laughing, homework forgotten as they danced to a song of their own invention. As Ram rushed in, Bheem picked Malli up, swinging her around playfully. She squealed in delight.

Then Ram’s eyes fell on the cooker in the corner. It looked exactly the same as it had when he had left. 

No pressure regulator.

Ram leapt between Bheem and the cooker. He shoved Bheem and Malli to the ground, sheltering them with his body just as the cooker exploded behind him.

As the hot steam and boiling water scalded his shoulders and back, causing his skin to erupt in red, angry blisters, Ram spared a brief thought for the karmic justice of it all. The arms that had wielded a whip against Bheem deserved to burn.

A scorching piece of metal slammed into Ram’s head, cutting right to the bone. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was blood dripping onto Bheem’s face beneath him.

It’s not his, Ram thought in relief.

***

When Ram awoke, he was in his dimly lit room, lying on his stomach with his head turned to one side so he could breathe. He felt small hands smoothing a salve onto his back, so gentle he could have been imagining it.

“Malli?” he rasped.

“Ram-anna!” she gasped softly. She set a bowl down on the nightstand and circled around so they were face to face. “You’re awake.”

“Malli, can I- can you help me sit up?”

Malli frowned. “I don’t think you should do that.”

Ram laughed hoarsely. “Please, Malli. I want to see you properly.”

She relented, propping up a pillow and holding Ram’s hand as he struggled to sit up. With every movement, he had to consciously bite back a shout.

When he was finally settled, Malli let go of his hand and reached for the salve. Her lip quivered.

“It hurts a lot, doesn’t it?”

Ram huffed out a smile, too exhausted to lie convincingly. “Who made this?” he asked instead, gesturing at the bowl in her hand.

“Bheem-anna. He said it’s good for burns.”

“Where is he?”

“He went with Sita-akka to bring us food.” Malli cocked her head to the side and grinned. “All the rotis drowned in the explosion.”

“Malli, don’t make me laugh,” Ram warned with a chuckle. “I can barely breathe here.”

“You ask a lot of questions for someone who can’t breathe.”

“Just wait till I get better. I’ll tickle you so much-”

“You’ll never catch me!”

“That’s fair,” Ram acknowledged. “You’re pretty fast.”

Malli settled herself on Ram’s bed, putting her head in his lap. Ram moved his hand to rest it on her head, gritting his teeth through the pain.

“Malli,” he said after several minutes.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what, Ram-anna?” Malli looked up at him in confusion.

“I- I was there that day when they brought you to the mansion. I should have helped you. I should have taken you back home. I’m sorry it took so long.”

She sat up, observing Ram thoughtfully. “You saw when they brought me there?”

“Yes.”

“Did you want to help me?”

“Yes, Malli. More than anything.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Ram squeezed his eyes shut. “I had to trick them. I had to make them think I was on their side.”

“So you could get the weapons to fight them?”

Ram looked at her in surprise. Malli may be a child, but she was sharp beyond her years. “Yes.”

“Then you shouldn’t be sorry. Bheem-anna is right.”

“Right about what?”

“Bheem-anna says that you can do no wrong.”

Ram felt his eyes brim with tears. Bheem said that? After everything that had happened? How had he managed to forget the sting of the whip when Ram could still feel the burn of the handle in his palm?

“Ram-anna, you’re crying!” Malli said, kneeling up on the bed to dry his tears. “What hurts? I can help, I have medicine.”

Ram shook his head miserably. “Where is he, Malli?”

“One second, I’ll go see. They should be back by now.”

Minutes later, Bheem entered the room at a full sprint. “Why are you sitting up?!”

“Bheema-”

“Lie down, you’ll make the pain worse!”

“Listen-”

“Wait, let me re-apply the salve, it will provide some relief and then-”

“Bheema!” Ram seized Bheem’s hands as he tried to reach for the salve. “Breathe. I’m okay. I’m okay.”

Bheem drew a long, shuddering breath. “Annayya…”

“I’m okay.”

Bheem refused to meet his eyes. “Why did you step in front of the cooker like that? It was my fault, I would’ve borne the consequences. I would have protected Malli.”

“I have no doubt.”

“Then why-”

“I made a promise, remember? I swore on your life that I wouldn’t let any harm come to you.”

“Don’t,” Bheem sobbed, bringing Ram’s hands to his eyes. “Don’t keep your promise like that.”

Ram cupped Bheem’s face tenderly, wiping away his tears.

“Bheema,” he began.

Bheem looked up, reading Ram’s intent. “Annayya, let me get you some food from the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”

As Bheem stood to leave, Ram grabbed his wrist with surprising strength.

“Stay.”

“Annayya, I’ll just be a minute,” Bheem tried to twist his hand out of Ram’s grip, causing Ram to gasp in pain.

“Stay,” Ram repeated before Bheem could react, “because I need to say-”

“No, Annayya, please-”

“-that I am so, so sorry. Forgive me, Bheema, because God knows I will never forgive myself.”

Bheem sat down on the edge of the bed, unable to speak for several seconds. Finally, he whispered,

“The whip hurt less than your words, Annayya.”

Ram drew an unsteady breath. “You don’t remember. The way you cried out-” The memory snatched the air from Ram’s lungs, making him choke. “The spikes digging into your skin, your blood pooling at my feet - these will haunt me as long as I live.”

“Annayya,” Bheem’s voice cracked. “Why do you torture yourself with such thoughts?”

“You trusted me, Bheema, and I betrayed you. It doesn’t matter the reason.”

“Annayya, I am yours. You were just doing your duty. But even if there was no reason, you have every right-”

Ram silenced him with a steely gaze. “No one has a right to hurt you. You are not a pawn in some greater fight. You are not a sacrifice. You are a person. Forgive me for ever behaving otherwise.”

“Okay,” Bheem buried his face in Ram’s chest, trying not to bawl like a child. Maybe it was a little silly, but after surviving the captivity of colonizers, to be seen as a person suddenly felt overwhelming. “Okay. As you say, Annayya.”

Ram wrapped his arms around Bheem, ignoring the way his nerves screamed in protest. His heart was full, and a laugh bubbled up out of him. His Bheema forgave him. What more could Ram possibly want?

“Jenny-akka wants to know if you both are coming for dinner,” Malli said from the doorway.

“We’ll be right there,” Ram said. “And Malli - thank you.”

Malli put on an exaggerated thinking face. “Mm, okay. I guess you’re welcome. This time.”

As she turned and left, Bheem looked up at Ram in confusion. “Was that a threat?”

“Unclear. She is not to be messed with,” Ram said. “Get up, Bheema, let’s go eat.”

[burningsheepcrown]

Ram babysits

Prompt from @fangirlshrewt97 <3

[noctomnis-art]

Bug Collection Two

Round two of critters found in my sketchbooks! Enjoy. :)