Baahubali Movie Review: Amar Chitra Katha On Steroids!

As kids, if you loved reading Amar Chitra Katha and got lost in the world of evil rulers, heroic princes, loyal warriors and long-suffering mothers, SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali-The Beginning is just the film for you.

A grand and massive film made on an epic scale, Baahubali stars Prabhas as Shivudu, a prince, who has grown up among a local tribe after being smuggled out of the palace, unaware of his lineage and his destiny, who nevertheless gets drawn into a plot to rescue an imprisoned queen (his own mother) and rightfully claim the throne from his ruthless uncle Bhallal (Rana Daggubati).

The very first thing that strikes you about the film when it starts is its grandiose. The locations, the camera work and the special effects will simply take your breath away. The way the kingdom of Mahishmati has been designed, the massive waterfall and the sight of Prabhas trying to climb the invincible mountain ‘Jal Parvat’ is enough to make your heart skip a couple of beats.

Though the film takes its time to get to the point as far as the main plot is concerned (the movie actually gets interesting post interval!), Baahubali is entertaining as hell from the word go. Granted that the actors tend to ham in many scenes, but if you keep that aside, the film is a gem as far as vision and execution is concerned.

Prabhas does a masterful job as the noble Shiva and his heroic father Amarendra Baahubali while Rana Daggubati as Bhallal is a force to be reckoned with because of his imposing physical presence and his rugged good looks. Anushka Shetty seems miscast as the old, imprisoned queen Devasena whereas Ramya Krishnan is a delight to watch as the reigning queen Sivagami, who can be maternal as well as ruthless within the blink of an eye. Tamannaah Bhatia doesn’t get to do much as the Amazonian warrior Avantika, who steals Shiva’s heart.

Another thing about Baahubali that strikes you is that the film will bring back memories of the Mahabharata. Rana’s brave but ambitious and ruthless Bhallal will surely remind you of Duryodhana while Prabhas as the noble and heroic prince will bring Arjuna to mind. If that was not all, there is a Bhishma-like character Kattappa (Sathyaraj), who despite being a honourable man, had to serve an evil king because of a vow made by his ancestors years ago.

Baahubali is an entertaining, total paisa-vasool fare, especially in the second half where the war scenes will remind you of films like Gladiator and Troy. The battle scenes have been choreographed beautifully and shows Prabhas and Rana at their best as they join forces to beat back barbaric invaders.

The climax is quite anti-climactic and will make you impatient for 2016, which is when the second part Baahubali-The Conclusion is slated to release.