Baahubali: The Beginning Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

This Indian blockbuster manages to entice its audience with a mythological fairy tale and grand-looking, Hollywood-like special effects. 

Genre: Action / Drama / Fantasy / Romance

Director: S.S. Rajamouli

Cast: Prabhas, Tamannaah Bhatia, Rana Daggubati, Sathyaraj, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan, Nassar, Adivi Sesh & Rohini.

Run Time: 159 min.

US Release: 09 July 2015

UK Release: 10 July 2015

German Release: 28 April 2016

The highest-grossing Indian film finally made its release in Germany, and boy, what a screening it was! I went to see this epic yesterday, early in the day, visiting one of only two cinemas in Munich that screened this spectacle. I was impressed by how much I enjoyed this, at times very over-the-top, action fantasy-drama that sees, for the larger part of the first act, the protagonist trying to climb a waterfall to the top to see what lies on the other side of the cliff. S.S. Rajamouli managed to direct an incredible, grand-looking fantasy epos that at times reminds more of a Hollywood blockbuster than a Tollywood flick.

This fantasy epos tells the tale of Shivudu (Prabhas), a young man possessing superhuman strength, who was adopted by Sanga (Rohini) and her husband when they found him close to drowning as an infant, in the nearby river at the base of a waterfall. Shivu grows up driven by one purpose: to climb the waterfall and explore the world above. When he finally manages to master the difficult climb, he is exposed to a world of pain and suffering but also meets Avanthika (Bhatia), a warrior princess he falls in love with.

Baahubali is the first film of a two-part series that unleashes two different cinematic styles, letting them clash and creating one of the biggest spectacles I have seen this year. Based on the myths of Indian folklore heroes, Rajamouli combines them all into one story to tell his own tale, which looks like a graphic novel depicted on screen. The film mixes American Hollywood storytelling with that of Indian Bollywood, making for a very light, yet at the same time gritty and violent picture. What it reminded me most of, though, was a classic Disney animation that came to life, as it had all the right ingredients: the light and at times violent tone, the musical entries and the fairy-tale-like atmosphere.

It is also very aware of its bigger-than-life presence that, at times, creating some very funny dialogue/action sequences, these being purposely over-the-top and giving the film a good balance between drama and humour. Some scenes are a little too silly, and do not mesh well with the serious part of the story. Having recently watched Gods of Egypt, I couldn’t help but compare the two and conclude that Baahubali: The Beginning succeeded in what the latter failed; creating a bloated, yet compelling blockbuster.

Prabhas, a moderate South Indian Tollywood star, takes on his first big action role as Shivudu/Baahubali and proves that he is more than capable of portraying characters that are more complex than the usual male love interest in rom-coms. In fact, he not only portrays the protagonist Shivudu aka Mahendra Baahubali but also his father Amarendra Baahubali in a flashback scene that spans through the last act of the movie.

Shivudu is a charming, unusually strong and curious young man who is drawn to the upper levels of the waterfall close to his adoptive home. Once he manages to climb up the cliffs, he learns of his true heritage and of the intrigues that led him to grow up under the care of his adoptive parents.

Rana Daggubati stars as the main antagonist Bhallaladeva, brother to Amarendra Baahubali and tyrant king of Mahishmati. He inherited his father’s jealousy, which ultimately led him to hate his brother due to his superior skills, which would eventually lead him to inherit the throne. Sadly, I thought that Daggubati was the weakest cast member, because as clear as his motivations and reasons are, I did not believe his rendition.

Tamannaah Bhatia plays Avanthika, a female warrior belonging to a rebel group meant to save the enslaved queen Devasena, and thus free the Kingdom of Mahishmati. Although having only a brief on-screen appearance, in comparison to other characters, Bhatia manages to sell her character's devotion to the rebels' cause and her surprise at finding love in an unexpected place. Finally, Ramya Krishnan is introduced in the third act of the movie as Queen Sivagami and gave another fine performance.

Senthil Kumar is the the director of photography for this movie and creates an epic-looking flick, reminiscent of big Hollywood blockbusters. He makes use of two different colour palettes: the first one represents the typical Bollywood vibrant colours, with lots of ruby reds, pinks and electric blues. These colours were used for the musical and fairy tale aspects of the movie. The other palette uses washed out golden/brownish and dirty colours, representing the grittier and more grounded aspect of the story.

The special effects are somewhat of a mixed bag. Some of the effects looked really good, as in the waterfall climbing scene or the computer-generated city of Mahishmati. Other effects look straight-up crap, like the giant bull fighting scene or some effects in the epic 45-minute battle, shown at the end. Those last examples were easy to spot, as they feel incredibly synthetic.

M. M. Keeravani, who is the director’s cousin, composed the beautiful soundtrack to this epos and created the songs for the musical scenes, with Madhan Karky chosen as the lyricist for the Tamil version of the songs. The film’s sound supervision was completed by Kalyan Koduri.

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Verdict: I am seriously impressed by this Indian blockbuster! Some of the over-the-top sequences could have definitely sufficed to plunge this movie into the depths of movie trash, such as this year’s Gods of Egypt, but S. S. Rajamouli manages to balance those larger-than-life visuals with some well-placed narrative humour. The combination of story and effects made me feel as if I was watching a classic Disney animation, and I was genuinely invested in Shiva’s story of self-discovery. Apart from some minor issues concerning the screenplay and the sometimes artificial-looking computer effects, this is a fun and very entertaining blockbuster that has me longing for the second part. I will give Baahubali: The Beginning an 8.0 out of 10.

Did you see this fantasy spectacle? If so, leave a comment below and share your experience with this epic. Thank you very much for reading & if you liked this review, be sure to share & like.