Bahubali – The Beginning

Cast	:	Prabhas, Rana Daggubati Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj Tamannaah, Anushka Shetty, Nassar
Director	:	S. S. Rajamouli
Music	:	M. M. Keeravani
Cinematographer	:	K K Senthil Kumar
Producer	:	Arka Media Works
Release Date	:	July 10, 2015
Length	:	2 Hours & 39 Minutes
Language	:	Telugu/Tamil/Malayalam/Hindi

My Thoughts

SS Rajamouli’s ambitious directorial venture: Bahubali – The Beginning, is indeed a beginning of a new era for the Indian cinema. There would be no wonder if the history of cinema is categorized as Before Bahubali and After Bahubali. The movie reiterates that film-making is an art which doesn’t require any language. The sequences speak more than what dialogs could ever convey and binds the global audience with the universal language of emotions.

The story is nothing new:

A tribal boy, Shivudu, (Prabhas) aspires to climb up the mountains and see what lies there, but never succeeds. However, he never gives up. When he comes across a beautiful wooden mask which falls down from the mountain, he is more motivated to climb up.  There he meets his lady love, Avanthika, (Tamannaah) who is a part of rebel group with the mission to free Queen Devasena (Anoushka Shetty) of Mahashmathi kingdom. Who is Devasena? Will Avanthika and her team free Devasena? Will Shivudu become a part of their mission too? This is one part of the story.

Long-long ago, in the mighty kingdom of Mahashmathi a Prince is born (Prabhas). His father is dead while he was still in his mother’s womb and his mother also dies after giving birth to the child. Then, he is brought up by his aunt Sivakami (Ramya Krishnan) who has a son (Rana Daggubati), few months older than Prabhas. Both the cousins are equally intelligent, strong and brave. Who becomes the king among the two is another part of the story.

But, what makes this movie new is the way the story is handled, emotions are conveyed and of course, the use of high quality graphics. Keeravani’s background music brings soul to the movie. Sabu Cyril’s art infuses life to the images. KK Senthil Kumar’s cinematography takes us back to the bygone era. The dialogs are crisp and apt.

Prabhas as Bahubali is intense. He lets his body language speak and instantly connects with the audience. Rana as the antagonist, Ballaladeva is fierce. Both have almost similar built and physique. When they fight, we almost believe that they have the strength to do the unbelievable. They look like the warriors we have read in books, epics and Amar Chithra Katha.

Ramya Krishnan as the just queen is outstanding. Her demeanor oozes with authority and power. When she says something, we know that she means it. At the same time, her eyes is filled with love and care for her children. Another show-stealer is Sathyaraj as Kattappa, a slave to throne. Nassar as a power-lust is shrewd.

The track between Prabhas and Tamannaah is the most stupid of all - the only pitfall. However, she is the key to kick start the story and drive Prabhas towards the right direction. So, I pardon that part. I also detest the overtly commercialized song in the 2^nd half - completely out of place and irrelevant. During the war sequence, both Prabhas and Rana fight like superheroes. However, they look fresh as a cucumber at the end of it. How is that possible? And the scene where Prabhas and Tamannaah escape the avalanche. Phew! But these are microscopic flaws which are negligible. The rich and royal feel that movie gives and the wonderfully choreographed war sequence that awes us is far more superior.

In short, leave your common sense at home. Let the movie take you to another era. Be a part of the history in Indian cinema!

Rating

5/5