MOVIES

A giant, golden statue of King Bhallala Deva is
being erected in capital city of Mahishmati.
Hundreds of slaves pull the multi-tonne
monument, in an effort to erect it. One slave,
old and exhausted, collapses and there's a
domino effect. The half-raised statue starts
falling, threatening the lives of a cluster of
commoners who will be crushed if it falls to
the ground. Just when it seems they're
doomed, the statue halts in its descent. One
man has picked up the fallen rope. One man
with crazy biceps. The gathered crowd roars
its thanks. Mr. Crazy Biceps grins and tugs the
statue a little closer to standing upright.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is not Sparta. This
is Baahubali
Director SS Rajamouli has done some
remarkable things with this monumental film,
which is the first of a two-part tale. One, he's
made a film that actually gets better after
intermission. Two, he's given us a new epic
with Baahubali . Yes, the cast is dressed like
characters in Amar Chitra Katha, but this isn't
a reinterpretation of Mahabharata or a
retelling of Ramayana. V. Vijayendra Prasad
has written a whole new and original epic that
doesn't borrow too obviously from our
favourite Hindu epics. Here, we see (mostly)
new gods and new heroes who are not bland
replicas of mythological heroes.
Our hero is Shiva (Prabhas), a prince who is
smuggled out of his kingdom and raised by a
different tribe. He grows up not knowing his
lineage, but acquires some serious rock-
climbing skills. If his wooing techniques are
any indication, lurking under his hulking
physique is an aspiring tattoo and make-up
artist. In the first half of Baahubali , we see
Shiva scampering up a mighty waterfall and
pursuing the feisty Avanthika (Tamannaah),
who is part of a rebel group that lives in a
hideout, high up in the mountains. She is
possibly the worst assassin in the history of all
time, given how she doesn't notice minor
details like Shiva's bulked-up self lying on a
branch above her, painting paisleys on her
shoulder. Then again, you know what they say
- love is blind.
Shiva is besotted by Avanthika and so he
marks her as his own by discreetly painting
tattoos on her. Later, when they finally lock
eyes on one another, he subjects her to a
Zorro-inspired striptease (mythical rebel
heroines have nice underwear. In satin, no
less) and in a flourish that will make stylists
clap delightedly, Shiva turns Avanthika's green
dhoti into a red skirt-type-thing. Avanthika
sees herself post-makeover and sensibly
decides Shiva is a keeper. Meanwhile in
Mahishmati, King Bhallala Deva (Rana
Dagubatti) shows off his rippling shoulder
muscles and takes a giant bull by the horns,
literally.
As might be evident, the first half of Baahubali
isn't exactly riveting. It teeters between
funny, spectacular and tragic, depending upon
how keen-eyed the viewer is and how much
acting is required of the cast. You can tell the
shooting has spread over the better part of two
years because the continuity is inconsistent.
For instance, Shiva has armpit hair in one shot
and in the next second, he's been depilated
comprehensively.
However, Rajamouli is hoping what his VFX
team has dreamed up as the imaginary terrain
of Baahubali will blind the viewer to the film's
weaknesses and to a large extent, this tactic
works. The CGI landscape, like the waterfalls
and the rather magnificent Mahishmati, are
spectacular. There are a few laughable spots,
but they are few and far between. While
Baahubali doesn't feel as real as Middle Earth,
it is a beautifully-imagined fantasy landscape
that has been rendered in impressive detail,
particularly by Indian standards.
In fact, the fake waterfall and city are more
convincing than the real humans. Tamannaah
confirms that she is an abysmally bad actress.
As far as this reviewer is concerned, Prabhas
is marginally better, but those who aren't
inclined towards being distracted by shirtless,
well-built men may disagree. Fortunately,
Prabhas entirely redeems himself with the
fight sequences and stunts that he performs.
There's an air of Rajinikanth to the actor, right
down to the goofy grin. Dagubatti has little to
do except flex his muscles and smoulder from
time to time, which he does ably. The two
actors who do actually do some acting are
Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj, both of whom
play important secondary roles.
It's post-intermission that Baahubali really
comes into its own. Shiva is told the story of
his father, Amarendra Baahubali (Prabhas in a
double role), and his cousin, Bhallala Deva.
They are princes in the royal family of
Mahishmati, which faces multiple crises.
Chaos is avoided when Bhallala's formidable
mother Sivagami (Ramya Krishan) takes
charge. However, when a murderous army
lands up at Mahismati's borders, it is time for
the two princes to take centre stage and they
do so in a fantastically choreographed battle
that unfurls over more than 30 minutes.
This battle is Rajamouli's tour de force. It's
elaborate, well-choreographed and has some
breathtaking moments. Prabhas and Dagubatti
are both in their elements as the warriors who
approach warfare in two distinctive styles. The
outcome of the battle is no surprise, but there
are enough clever tactics and twists to keep
the audience hooked. The biggest surprise,
however, lies in the film's final shot, which
gives you a glimpse into the sequel that will
come out next year. And it's good enough to
make you wish 2016 was here already.
Till then, stock up on popcorn and be ready to
unleash your catcalls for Baahubali .


copied from    firstpost.com