Baahubali – The Beginning (Telugu, 2015)

S. S. Rajmouli takes story-telling to a whole new level. Period movies that combine fiction with heroism are a rare selling commodity solely due to the sheer volume of effort and the expenditure involved. But the ace director proves once again that an effort of such magnitude can never go wrong not just with the story but also with his narration. Some scenes like holding up the infant in the river, Bahubali confronting Bhallala Deva and the climax battle are real delights and have been well-thought of and executed to perfection

Prabhas looks magical in his character as the leading man not just with his well-chiseled looks but also with his full-blooded dialogue delivery and display of emotions. If his larger than life, tribal avatar is all about being flashy and free-spirited, his Royal Avatar would convince anyone to believe that no other contemporary Indian actor could have essayed this role to perfection. The scenes when he carries the Shivaling on his shoulders and the mid-battlefield dialogues stand in testimony of this

Another character that has been given an equal importance is that of Rana Daggubati. The two hunks don’t just give each other a healthy competition in looks and muscular showdown but also complement each other so well to share the burden of carrying the movie over the finish line. One can only pity an average moviegoer when they are torn between their loyalties to the hero and villain!

Ramya Krishnan as the God mother and the queen of Mahismathi is magnanimous and full of authority. Her screen presence is a total boost to the movie and just when the flashback seems to slither away she holds it together with her commanding presence. Stop wondering if her imposing presence reminds you of her role as the legendary Neelambari.

Sathyaraj gets a real meaty role and his unquestioned royalty and obedience will remain in the hearts of everyone. Nassar excels in his role as Rana’s father and ‘Kichcha’ Sudeep’s cameo is just to fill in the space. Tamannah revels in a role in a completely unfamiliar territory with her body language as a rebel and her romantic emotions deserve a special mention. Anushka Shetty’s make-up looks incredible and we do expect a lot more from them in the sequel.

K. K. Senthil Kumar’s cinematography is sheer brilliance. The location scouts also need to be commended equally. M. M. Keeravani breathes life with his music that gels really well with the mood of the film. Every frame portrays the amount of hard work that has gone into the making of this movie and the entire Technical crew deserves a standing ovation

The baffling placement of an item number is a real let down and does test the patience of the audience. One cannot help but wonder why a director like SS Rajamouli opts to have such elements in his movie, especially in such a grand story that has a truck load of selling points to carry it home

Though we are in for an experience of a lifetime, for the modern day audience who are used to watching the Iron Mans & the Transformers, the CGIs may come as a bit of a letdown which we feel was not given as much care considering the huge budget with which the movie was made