BAHUBALI REVIEW

BAHUBALI  (2015)

Director: S.S.Rajamouli

Casts: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Tamannah, Nassar
Music: M. M. Keeravani
Language: Tamil
Genre: Period Drama

After churning out consecutive hits with his precise execution of series of imaginative content, Rajamouli took another step higher to deliver, India’s most expensive film in from of a historical epic. With the expectations touching the sky for this grand spectacular, can Rajamouli repeat his magic?

Synopsis

A courageous woman, Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) escapes a hot pursuit of several warriors, kills them and flees with an infant. As she stumbles into a flowing river, realizing she has nowhere to go, Sivagami drowns herself while holding the child atop the water.  The infant is rescued and brought up by the tribal head (Rohini) and he grows up to become Shivu (Prabhas) who is obsessed with climbing up on a huge mountain to catch a glimpse of what lies at the other side of the mountain. One day he manages to climb up to the other side and falls in love with a warrior, Avanthika (Tamannah). As he takes her mission as his own to free Devasena (Anushka), a slave of Magizhmathi, he unlocks a strong connection to his past and his real identity.

Story – Screenplay

Bahubali travels in the tested old tales of father-son, historical revenge saga but what makes it different is the screenplay. The amount of thought to present the hill old story suited to the present audiences is noteworthy. Be it the meticulousness of presenting the richness of the kingdom, the grandeur of the nature or the epic fight scenes, Rajamouli scores in every corners of entertainment.

Kudos to Madhan Karky for his engaging native Tamil dialogues throughout and also for creating a whole new language for the Kalakeya tribe.

On the downside, even with splendid visual sequences, the languorous pace of the first half, does tests the patience, especially the forced love sequences. Tamannah’s change of character arc looks too forced too. In addition, “Manogari” song comes at a crucial part and acts as a major hindrance in the racy flow of the second half.

Bahubali’s highest point certainly is the final scene where a major cliffhanger gets revealed, keeping the audience at the edge of the seat and wish for 2016 to come soon as the credits roll.

Casting & Performance

The biggest asset of Bahubali, besides the visuals and direction is the perfect casting by Rajamouli.

Prabhas as Shivu, certainly stands at the top of the list with his immense dedication in portraying as a brave Prince. With toned body, charisma and controlled emotions, Prabhas scores in every scene he appears.

Rana as the menacing antagonist, cake walks the role with his well-built physique. Rana is probably the best choice for role and he pulls off as a huge threat to Prabhas when standing side by side.

Sathyaraj surely deserves a special mention as he shines with brilliance as the loyal guard leader, Kattapa. He stamps his experience by handling a multi-layered character, showing the balance of hatred and loyalty to one person.

Among the ladies, Ramya Krishnan and Anushka fits the bill very well, both portraying as courageous and bold ladies. The intensity they bring across with their eyes and postures is indescribable. On the other end, Tamannah in a limited role as a warrior and Prabhas’ love interest does relatively well too.

Technicality

This is probably the strongest department of the film, with thousands of technician, working tirelessly for two and a half years. With one year just invested in pre-production, the amount of hard work warrants a royal salute.

Sabu Cyril’s art direction flexes with nothing but royal grandeur. Be it the castles, weapons and interior designs, he proves his mettle as the true hero of the visuals.

It will be a sin not to mention, stunt choreographer, Peter Hein who took charge to present the most epic scene of the film, the battle between Magizhmathi and Kalakeya. One could surely expect him to swoop all the awards for stunt choreography for the year.

Rajamouli’s regular, Senthil Kumar, once again pumps in further to the visual magnificence put up by other technicians through his lenses. Be it the aerial shots during the war or the silhouette shot at the final scene, Senthil leaves the audiences with goose bumps.

It’s definitely not feasible to compare the visual effects with high budget Hollywood flicks, but Bahubali certainly a big leap for the VFX standard in Indian movie industry. Lastly, what makes the film a genuine epic film is the tasteful use of visual effects to complement the story and not the other way round.

A standing ovation to the entire team who worked for the story!

Bottomline

Pumped up with stellar performances and a neat emotional core, this visual spectacular fulfills its sky-high expectation quite comfortably, thanks to the ever-precise direction of S.S.Rajamouli.

Verdict: Triumph of imagination

Movie Rating:  3.5/5

Director’s crown – S.S. RAJAMOULI : 

By Kannan Vijayakumar