BAAHUBALI - THE BEGINNING (TELUGU/TAMIL/MALAYALAM/HINDI) (2015)

 
Most of India identify him as the maker of the 2012 sleeper hit Makkhi (aka Eega/Naan EE/Eecha) as well as the reincarnation saga, Magadheera (Maaveeran in Tamil). However, in the annals of Tollywood, S.S. Rajamouli, is better recognized as the serial blockbuster maker with a Midas touch. Even his lesser known earlier movies have spawn successful remakes/dubbed versions in multiple Indian languages. Seen thus, he is among the few regional film makers who can rightfully claim of winning adulation and appreciation across the country.

Baahubali, Rajamouli's ambitious magnum opus, to be presented in two parts - The Beginning released now to be followed by The Conclusion next year - owes much of its existence to the critical and commercial success of Makkhi (2012) where Rajamouli proved that he could weave a riveting revenge saga with a humble housefly as the protagonist. One can also say that Baahubali as well as Rajamouli's dream took flight with the tender wings of that housefly which could establish him as a maker who could assure delivering the goods on a much larger scale and reach.

Set in a fictional medieval land, Baahubali - The Beginning is a revenge saga of a royal family where the long lost prince - Shivu (Prabhas) - would be seen avenging the injustices of a cruel and corrupt king - Ballala Deva (Rana Daggubati) who murdered his father - king Amarendra Baahubali (Prabhas) and imprisoned his mother - Devasena (Anushka Shetty goes completely de-glam). While the story is as old as humanity itself, it is in his presentation that Rajamouli scores his aces. Without doubt the design and execution of the movie is on a scale hitherto unseen in Indian cinema. The movie boasts of state of the art CGI which could rival most of what is on offer from Hollywood which is seamlessly complemented by gorgeous art design of the ever-dependable Sabu Cyril which is captured by K.K. Senthil Kumar to spellbinding effect. While the songs themselves are quite unremarkable, music director M.M. Keeravani (aka Maragadhamani) has amped up the intensity of the action set pieces with an energetic score. The extended action set piece of  the battle which forms the finale has been spectacularly conceived and rendered by Peter Hein and his team. In fact, the visionary director, his visual effects team, Sabu Cyril and K.K. Senthil Kumar as well as the audacious producer who believed in the director and his team to deliver the wares are the real stars of this movie. Speaking of the star cast, Prabhas and Rana bring on an intense screen presence with their hulking herculean builds even as veteran Ramya Krishna matches them with her fiery presence. Satyaraj (as Kattappa) and Nasser (as Pingala Deva) excel in their minor cameos.

S.S. Rajamouli has the rare twin gifts of being a visual artist and an entertaining storyteller. In Baahubali - The Beginning, he has let the visual artist to overshadow the storyteller in him. Baahubali has several instances where Rajamouli doffs his hat - without copying, per se - to Hollywood masters like James Cameron, Peter Jackson as well as local influences like the epics of Ramayana, Mahabaratha along with notable works in Bollywood and his own earlier works. 

If one were to count the failings of the movie, I would flag the lack of emotional connect with the story and its characters, especially coming from a maker who could hook us and root for the revenge saga of a humble housefly. The insipid romance between Prabhas and Tamannah is unconvincing and is the chief culprit resulting in the extra long first half which feels a tad of dragging. Nonetheless, the movie remains consistently engrossing as Rajamouli shifts the action from one verdant locale to another which rise up in majestic CGI visuals which are well crafted with the exception of few blemishes which look phony. 

Baahubali - The Beginning heralds the breach of the long held and accepted horizons of Indian film-makers and explores brave new visual vistas where contemporary Hollywood has held reign for a decade or more. Now, if only our film makers build more muscle in the storytelling side too, our films would be celebrated across the world, besides India. But, till then, Rajamouli and his team richly deserve the shower of praises that are to come their way for imagining and  executing an epic entertainer that has taken Indian cinema to an all new apex. Hope he scales greater heights and concludes his epic saga with a fitting finale. I AM WAITING !!

A VISUAL SPECTACLE ! A VERY GOOD WATCH !!

RATING - 3.5/5