Reviews of Bahubali 2 The Conclusion Write a review

Reviews of Bahubali 2 The Conclusion Write a review

First, a confession. I hadn’t seen Bahubali 1. Fantasy and mythology are not my preferred genres. But when I was told that I would be going to Hyderabad to cover the release of Bahubali 2, I watched it last week and really enjoyed it. Sure, the special effects were tacky at times, but the story was great, it moved fast and I felt a satisfaction at the end of having had a worthwhile movie experience.


So, now cut to Hyderabad where I spent the day with two local friends (starting at 6am) waiting outside single screen theatres with long, snaking lines, crazy thuping dhols and wide-eyed fans, catching the hoopla around the release and getting audience reactions, that, may I add, were totally over-the-top . It was a weary and bamboozled by Bahubali trio that settled into a show at the more sedate PVR to finally catch the movie.


The film starts with a brief ovierview of what happened in part 1 before diving headlong into what exactly happened to Bahubali Senior, leading to the burning question of why Katappa killed him. The story has enough twists and turns and layers of complexity to keep you engaged. The motivations of each character are well thought through and and there aren’t any loopholes in the logic of the actions that may make the story fall apart. This is crucial if the drama that follows each action has to ring true and justify the scale of the repurcussions that follow. If the motivations were weak or flimsy the fabric of the storywould not have been able to hold the weight of the violent reactions that follow.


The movie is majestic in the way it looks. The kingdom of Mahismati is meticulously evoked and the grandeur and scale take your breath away. You know a lot of it is CGI but it looks authentic and real and draws you into the world effortlessly. There are a few scenes such as the romantic ship journey by Bahubali and his love, Princess Devasena which is dreamy and surreal with white horses emerging from nebulous clouds that make you wonder at the rich imagination that has gone in to the making of the movie.


The fights that are the high point for most audiences are also extremely well done though I found the violence in a few scenes to be too graphic and extreme, but I guess the one word brief for the movie is “extreme” so it’s to be expected. I found a few of the fight sequences too stretched out and long drawn out. Some tighter editing may have improved the pace of the movie. But then maybe, I am not that much into fights and so it felt too much for me.


The star cast delivers. Prabhas as Amarendra Bahubali is all that a mighty king should be. He is brave and kind, just and compassionate and has a physique that is needed for the superhuman feats he performs. As the son, Mahendra Bahubali though he is not that great. As a teenage fan I was chatting with pointed out correctly, he lacks the aristocratic dememanor his character demanded. Maybe, he will grow into it in the next movie (oh yes, I am sure there will be another one, there is a hint of that somehwhere). Anushka Shetty looks ethreal as Maharani Devasena and is convincing while firing three arrows simualtaenously which is no mean feat. She plays a pivotal role in the way the story develops and she manages to covery that steely grit in the initial scenes. Sathyaraj’s Kattappa, torn bettween duty and love has also got a funnier, gentler side to him here which adds a new dimension to his character. Rana Dugabatti’s jealous Bhallala Deva seemed a bit too stiff to me. He somehow seemed to lack the aggression he had in the first part, as if already admitting defeat. Ramya Krishnan as Sivagami again has her eyes cellotaped to her forehead to maintain the one expression that personifies her character.


Bahubali 2 is definitely a movie worth watching for its epic scale and dramatic force. There are no nuances here, everyone feels strongly, acts strongly and the movie suppports this with definite forceful action. I felt it could have been crisper but then I had been Bahubali’d since 6 am. There is only so much a mortal human can take. Go ahead and enjoy your weekend!