Thoughts on Baahubali 2

So I went to watch “Baahubali 2, The conclusion” yesterday. Before you groan and say “Nooooo..Enough of Baahubali. East, West, North and South – everyone seems to be talking of it only. Heck, some women are every sporting BB sarees!!”, let me tell you that I am not another BB fan. What’s more – I must be the only one to NOT have watched part 1, “Baahubali: The Beginning“. I relocated to the city of Pune 2 weeks ago and this was my first movie in Pune. The last movie I watched in theatre was – “M.S. Dhoni: The Untold story” at the famed Palazzo cinemas in Chennai. Yes, it’s been 7 months since I stepped into theatre. I’m one of those who’s lazy to dress up and go to watch a movie. Plus, the theatres in Chennai were a bit far from my house. In Pune, the multiplex is at a stone’s throw from my home. And so off I went, solo, to watch the movie with abated breath.

I opted for the Telugu version which was subtitled. The movie is such a breath-taking visual treat to the eyes. The part I loved the best was where Amarendra Baahubali tries to woo Devasana (Anushka Shetty). His teaching her to shoot 4 arrows at a time is fantastic and together from a single bow they shoot 8 arrows. Wow! The fighting sequences are such a delight to watch. More than the action scenes, it’s the innovative techniques used by the director that are amazing. I don’t think I’ve seen such a visual treat before. The villain’s chariot which shoots umpteen number of arrows is another masterpiece. Prabhas is rocking and Anushka is mesmerizing. But I loved her more in the Arundhati Movie. She doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind even in front of the Queen Sivagami openly and she stands up for what’s right rather than blind respect. Rana Daggubati as villain is great but I feel he hardly gets to speak a word in the first half. Ramya is splendid with those expressive eyes and Naseer as Bijjaladeva reminds you of Shakuni Mama of Mahabharata, full of deceit and cunningness. And ah, Katappa – he is the fulcrum of the movie. When Bijjaladeva tries to play the disability card, Katappa’s answer to him is brilliant. And when he asks him if he overheard their convo, Katappa’s befitting reply that being a dog, he has dog’s scent seals Bijjaladeva’s mouth. The movie will also answer the burning question everyone has had since last 2 years – Why Katappa killed Baahubali.

And no, you don’t need to see ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ before watching this. This is supposed to be a sequel, but for most part of the movie, it is actually a prequel. Its only in the last 20-30 mins that it becomes a sequel. A quick wiki read of the first part would do.

Watching this movie, I couldn’t help mentally comparing it with the last movie (Dhoni) that I had watched. Both movies are nearly 3 hours with Dhoni being far more longer. While Baahubali 2 is a delight to watch, it lacks emotional depth. You watch, you feel happy and then you forget. After watching the movie, you don’t get lost in it but Dhoni, it made me lose myself for days and days in it and made me feel like seeing it again and again. Of course, both movies are quite different genres. Am I going to go and watch Baahubali again in theatre? Maybe No. Maybe yes!

At the end of the movie, I had just one question that I kept pondering over. No, it’s not the millionbillion times asked – Why Katappa killed Baahubali. It’s rather – “Why Katappa did NOT kill xyz?”. Do go and see this magnificent extravaganza at least once for the visual splendor it offers.

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia