‘Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion’ movie review: This extravagant epic saga is no less than a treat

Directed By: SS Rajamouli
Produced By: Shobu Yarlagadda, Prasad Devineni
Cast: Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia
Duration: 2 hours 51 minutes 
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 4.5/5

I believe myself to be one of the few ones who never pondered over ‘Kattappa ne Baahubali ko kyun mara tha’? Simply because I had somehow missed out watching the first part of ‘Baahubali’. Now that writing a ‘Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion’ movie review came to me, last night I sat to watch the original film and thank god I am this late! Otherwise, in two years, the awe would have faded out.

The journey of Shiv or Mahendra Singh Baahubali (Prabhas) begins where his father Amarendra Singh Baahubali (Prabhas again, in previous chapter) took his last breath, with Katappa (Sathyaraj) committing the most mysterious murder. This film kickstarts as Shiv, a village boy adopted by tribal parents, is made aware of his glorious birth-secret, and learns of the conspiracy majorly played by his uncle Bhallala Deva (Rana Daggubati) and grandfather Bijjaladeva (Nassar). A hundred miles away, his mother Devasena (Anushka Shetty) remains captive in the Mahishmati kingdom, awaiting her son to rescue her. This follows with a thorough flashback and you come to know why Kattappa killed Baahubali. No, we ain’t gonna give any spoilers away!

I don’t think anything as extravagant as ‘Baahubali 2’ has happened in Indian cinema before. This is particularly a big-screen watch. Major parts of the majestic visuals can be credited to  breathtaking cinematography done by Senthil Kumar. It was surely no cakewalk to bring the story to life, given the historical and royal context it enjoys.

You are guaranteed to be in awe with the CGI, which is particularly and evidently enhanced than in the previous chapter. MM Keeravani has done wonders with the background music. Despite a story that traces back to an age-old emperor and is filled with typical rituals, he dared to blend classical and western tunes and ended up creating brilliant fusion background scores!

SS Rajamouli particularly deserves a loud applaud for how he has painted the characters. And to much of our amazement, each of the actors has lived his or her own traits. Be it Prabhas’ honest but brave antics, Rana Daggubati’s evil moves, the futile tears shed by Shivagami aka Ramya Krishnan or those trembling footsteps of a devastated Devasena (Anushka Shetty), we were glued as we discovered how they all lived different shades of one story. The only person who had least to do was Tamannaah Bhatia. Tamannaah plays not more than a cameo, and to be honest, it isn’t impressive. As Prabhas bleeds, you join your knuckles. As Rana’s eyes fold with evil grin, we hold our breath. As Anushka puts forward her warrior’s footsteps, we gasp. Isn’t the adrenaline rush inside is what you watch a film for?

‘Baahubali 2’, in a long time, is one film wherein the protagonist has too many entries, all of them equally powerful and justified. When was the last the time that an 8 am show on a weekday morning was housefull?

Move over the technicalities, and ‘Baahubali 2’ comes across with handful of ever-relevant realities. It shows you that a person’s morals could fall prey to wrong judgments, that the tragedies suffered by you are often carefully planned, and that something as delicate as love turns fatal at times.

I’ll be honest. I don’t think narrating a film like this is easy. Most of us know what is it going to be, and are all expecting the good over to win over evil. What happens, is now what constructs the film. It has been beautifully written, or should I say choreographed? How the story unfolds and nears the conclusion is the treat here. Every bit of the the proximity towards end will be savoured by you. The moments of romance are too poetic and the outcomes of anger and greed are too larger-than-life. But that’s what, at the end of the day, injects life in an epic. Isn’t it?

No more preaching please. Go watch ‘Baahubali 2’ today!

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