Bahubali
wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?) - But if you do, you may want to go to the cinema halls.
One epic war sequence at the end of a story that is not only half-hearted, but also half-told.
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Bahubali is appealing to the eye. The sets look exotic, the cinematography is breathtaking. The entire set-up is extravagant. There is one long, awesomely choreographed war sequence. And that's it. It is a 2 hour 40 minute long film. It has unnecessary songs that in fact, seemed cheesy to me - and this I felt after a long time. The story has some thing going about it, but it runs out of steam and/or money by the time the climax approaches. Given this list of pros and cons, it finally boils down to whether or not you can watch and like a film mostly for its scale and visuals.
Bahubali might have still been worth recommending if it were not for major plot points left hanging before “the conclusion” was declared. There were at least two sub-plots that were dwelt on through out the film, but weren't explained at all, let alone satisfactorily.
I also wonder, if the film would've worked better if it avoided the flashback and pasted the “history” before the current times instead of moving back and forth. A chronological telling of the story might have worked better in building the story.
But, from the way it has ended up, looks like the story didn't feature in the top ten priorities. It was more like the idea of shooting a great war scene came about and a story was conceptualised to justify the big war. A story that makes you feel it was reverse engineered, isn't what I like in my films. The rest is secondary.
~ ~ ~
ps: I watched the version dubbed in Hindi.
- meeta, a part of the audience
Thumbs up, by Baradwaj Rangan, Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express : ...Rajamouli proves that it’s possible to reinvent even the “TASMAC song” — here, the dancers emerge from a pyramid of ropes, as alcohol flows from pitchers overhead. But the best sight of all is that of a filmmaker not, for a second, taking his audience for granted.... full review
Thumbs up, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...So do watch BAAHUBALI at the earliest in whatever language you are comfortable with, though the dubbing does take away much of the actual essence, feel, emotion and impact of the scenes unarguably.... full review
Thumbs up, by Githa Vanan, Bolly Spice : ...I read a tweet from a random viewer which said people are running out of superlatives to describe the grandeur that is Baahubali. I too am lost for words as the fan of fantasy screams and shouts for joy but has to wait patiently to see Baahubali: The Conclusion.... full review
Thumbs up, Bollywood Hungama : ...On the whole, despite having a first half that is rather slow, and a ballistic second half, a film like BAHUBALI makes you proud that an Indian filmmaker dared to dream big and accomplished it. BAHUBALI is definitely not to be missed. Call it a box-office blockbuster today, but tomorrow, it will be remembered as a classic.... full review
Thumbs up, by Rakesh Reddy, Desi Martini : ...Baahubali is India's most expensive film and the most anticipated one too. Before I go with the review, I must say I am amazed by this man's vision... full review
Thumbs up, by Sarita A Tanwar, DNA : ...Bahubali is beyond your imagination – a film that takes Indian cinema to the next level. Don’t miss it.... full review
Thumbs up, by Rachit Gupta, Filmfare : ...Bahubali is truly an epic experience. Had the story not been so jaded, this would've gone into the history books as an all-time classic. But that's not the case. It has its set of storytelling flaws, but even those are overshadowed by Rajamouli's ideas and execution. This is definitely worthy of being India's most expensive film. It's a definite movie watching experience.... full review
Thumbs up, by Deepanjana Pal, FirstPost : ...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.... full review
Thumbs up, by Ravi Kandala, fullhyd.com : ...There is frankly little point in us recommending (or not recommending) Baahubali - you'll watch it anyway. But still, here it is - go watch it. Baahubali gets an A+ for intent and an A- for execution, but it is still an A.... full review
Thumbs up, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...Sathyaraj as Kattappa is both noble and solid. He brings a certain charm to his performance, fully understanding the personality of his character BEN-HUR was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won an unprecedented 11. Let's see how our jury receives this EPIC! ... full review
Thumbs up, by Mihir Fadnavis, Hindustan Times : ...What really makes the film work is that it is, at its heart, a fast-paced adventure, fuelled by themes of questing and redemption.... full review
Thumbs up, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Bahubali given that I watched a Hindi dubbed version of the original Telugu film. Rajamouli is indeed a visual storyteller, and he brings the curtains down on this first part of his two-film saga with a curious cliffhanger. I can't wait for Part 2, which comes next year.... full review
Thumbs up, by Mona Ramavat, india today : ...History and histrionics, gore and grandeur, energy and entertainment; the first part of Baahubali has enough of these for us to look forward to the second, releasing next year.... full review
Thumbs up, by Archita Kashyap, koimoi : ...Be it the war sequences, or sword fighting; or a visual spectacle, or pure entertainment, watch Bahubali this weekend. Kudos to the dedication of S S Rajamouli and his leading men, Prabhas & Rana, for spending years putting this film together. Actually, in it’s imagination & Indianness, Bahubali might just be a whole new start.... full review
Thumbs up, by Shubha Shetty-Saha, MiD DAY : ...It is to the director's credit that every aspect of the film -- action, mind-boggling set design and choreography -- lives up to this epic film of gigantic scale. The choreography in the song that has Shiva disrobing Avantika to get her in touch with her feminine side, is an absolute gem. Don't miss it.... full review
Thumbs up, by Jaidev Hemmady, Movie Talkies : ...Baahubali is an entertaining, total paisa-vasool fare, especially in the second half where the war scenes will remind you of films like Gladiator and Troy. The battle scenes have been choreographed beautifully and shows Prabhas and Rana at their best as they join forces to beat back barbaric invaders.... full review
Thumbs up, by Divya Solgama, MoviezADDA : ...Dum??? Well, it's said that good things come to those who wait, and if you can wait or pass through the weak first half of the film, the second half has lots of good treats for its cinematic fans. The fantastic direction, brilliant background score, flawless action scenes, spectacular scale and decent performances make this movie a valorous saga of entertainment.... full review
Thumbs up, by Sukanya Verma, Rediff : ...The first part of the epic leaves behind dollops of rip-roaring entertainment to relish till it’s back to finish what it started in perhaps even more jaw-dropping manner. Rajamouli incites such confidence.... full review
Thumbs up, by Sonia Chopra, Sify Movies : ...But there are relatively small faults in a film that overwhelms and entertains through its sheer love for scale and visual wizardry. For the splendid visual feast it offers, and the solid performances, this one comes recommended!... full review
Thumbs up, by SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO, The Hindu : ...M.M. Keeravani’s music, Sabu Cyril’s art direction, Rama Rajamouli and Prashanti Tipirneni’s costumes are in sync with the film’s setting. Prabhas does his best in the dual job of playing the carefree Sivudu and the revered Baahubali. There was no doubt that Rana would look the part of a warrior, but here he shows his growth as an actor. Anushka Shetty is gutsy to take on such a role and emotes through her powerful eyes. Had she faltered, she would have been a ‘mera beta aayega’ mother one has seen in Hindi cinema of 70s and 80s. Yes, we want to see more of her. Tamannaah is impressive in her warrior princess act. Sathyaraj and Rohini are pitch perfect in their parts.... full review
Thumbs up, by Renuka Vyavahare, Times of India : ...The casting is terrific. Ramya Krishnan in her short but substantial role is flawless as the feisty Raajmata. Tamannaah does the action bit well. Prabhas and Rana Daggubati are outstanding. They hugely contribute to making this routine good vs bad film a visual extravaganza...entertainment guaranteed. The scene which sees Shiva singlehandedly erecting a giant gold statue of Bhallala Deva is jawdroppingly iconic. Take a bow S.S. Rajamouli.... full review
Thumbs up, by Aparna Mudi, Zee News : ...This film is worth watching simply to bask in the future of what Indian epics can be portrayed as, if only someone like Rajamouli can have the courage to visualise it! Watch it – you would want to hold your breath for the sequel. ... full review
So-So, by Raja Satish, Desi Martini : ...Watch it for visual effects and bits and pieces of technically appealing scenes spread over the film's canvas.... full review
So-So, by Johnson Thomas, Free Press Journal : ...While the scale of the mounting is pretty much impressive, there’s no finesse or enchantment to the finished product, to allow for any great attachment. At best this is a notch higher than tele-series like Ramayana and Mahabharat but definitely way below the Gold standard of a Cecil B De Mille enterprise. S S Rajamouli has a lot to learn from this monstrous mistake!... full review
Thumbs down, by Anna MM Vetticad, annavetticadgoes2themovies : ...Bahubali features one of the longest scenes of romanticised symbolic violation ever seen on screen. Why are we as a nation not angered by it?... full review
Thumbs down, by Krish Sripada, Desi Martini : ...You can see the effort and the money. But, you cannot see the heart or soul!... full review
Thumbs down, by Namrata Joshi, Outlook India : ...Bahubali, save entertainment. Despite the talent that has gone into making this larger-than-life spectacle, it doesn’t prove to be half as bewitching as Eega. ... full review
Yashwanth447: hi i like bahubali
wasimalwez: Bahubali is a gud movie.....but people are highly exaggerating it as a never seen before Indian film
vnktgirish: #Bahubali the ultimate film in Indian history..
vivekrule: I guess this is what July 2015 is at its best, Bahubali & now Bajrangi Bhaijaan one of the best movies of Salman... https://www.facebook.com/vivekrulezzz/posts/10203476932764360
vidya55555: Watched Bahubali with my swt hubby. ...wow. ..wow. ..wow. ..great fan of rajamouli. ...
vatsalpedhadiya: Watched "bahubali " best VFX tech. Ever seen.nice job @prabhasraju
v2himas: Amazing Story, Perfect Starcast, Superb Acting, Awesome direction, Fantastic animation & locations and Deadly Action. It is 'Bahubali' :):)
v255458: Bahubali is far better than bajrangi bhaijaan......
ulasan02: Greatest visuals in an Indian movie brought to life with amazing content. #Bahubali delivers on every level!
twt921debo: Done bahubali the beginning Wow wow a must watch film The story rocks
TalsaniyaBharat: fadooooooooooooo movie bahubali
suraj_g_kotian: Absolutely floored by the sheer magnanimity & intensity of #Bahubali Kudos #Rajamouli & the rest of the crew
sunildewase: Last night sees the bahubali ...truly awesome movie..its more than match to any top action Hollywood movie..
sunilchintu2468: #Bahubali will make you immersed yourself in the movie. Excellent visuals n rerecording. Each character in the movie is appreciative,
SudhirArora555: कोई मुकबला नही #Bahubali का https://t.co/iB2hStaYzM
Subject26: Best Big Budget Flick in indian cinema so far. Bahubali was very well directed,the whole cast nailed their roles and even the cgi was decent
subbunaran: Watched the movie Bahubali , WOW! photography and CG graphics mesmerized me...Way to go Rajamouli !!
SSupyal: #Bahubali ... Its royal piece of indian culture ... Really i love it and feel it...
SriniPeddi: While basking in the glory of #Bahubali success I am Proud that SS Rajamouli is from our Telugu film industry and lived in #DreamValley
srinathmss: Rajamouli scores full marks be it story or screenplay. Nothing in the films makes you bore. #Rajamouli #Bahubali
SpaceManas: #bahubali is theme borrowed from Hollywood exaggerated in telugu movie genre. #Salute to all who are surviving & enjoying it.
SJnivas: I hate tamannah acting in Bahubali Movie... Never expected that acting in Rajmouli's mvs.. The Movie good overall gud
sivakumar_m_89: Watched 1st time Telugu movie in the big screen. #bahubali really nice movie and must watch movie in theatre.
siddharthagigoo: Calls for guts to say cut it before the beginning. Rajamouli, take a bow. #Bahubali
shwetankrocks: What an good Direction from @ssrajamouli. Loved the movie
ShantalaSharat: Blockbuster #Bahubali
shanjerri7413: #BajrangiBhaijaan sure be a good story blockbuster.. #Bahubali is an India epic to show the power of Indian cinema making..See in 2angles
saurabh271097: about bahubali... its good movie, wonderful scene,, in Bollywood can't be such like that.. bcz duggupati and prabhash unavailable there..
santosh0929: Two weeks and 2 super movies . Bahubali and bajrangi bhaijaan . Quality and content is back
samosawallah: Will watch Premam again today. Brilliant stuff. Perhaps the best stuff of the year along with Bahubali. Maybe better.
saleschamp: Goodone #bahubali https://t.co/nXm6NawWgE
RJPriyankasoni: But @ssrajamouli Bahubali is a outstanding movie ....
puzanlimbu: #bahubali was a great movie
PunithLekkala: i never saw the movie like bahubali in my life
pragnik: WOW #Bahubali >> HISTORY made ever in the indian cinema! https://t.co/VHGZUoKK3V
PlusOneAttitude: #Bahubali #epic #movie... Must watch.. Indian cinema owes a standing ovation..
PiduguPrashii: Bahubali @ I heard such fantastic word's form other in gulf about ours bahubali ## Really really such a enhanced movie from Rajamouli garu..
perugurama: Amazing master work "Bahubali"... Genius Indian Film Director "Raja Mouli"...!! Hats Off...!! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205788242479474
peachypiscean: Bahubali #superbmovie
pavant56: Awwwwsome....... Bahubali.. HatsOff to all the artists who were so perfect. Don't have words to describe the... https://www.facebook.com/PavanTurlapati56/posts/498231033673003
pavansingitham: Now that's what a movie should be like - every scene awe inspiring, story telling at its best, truly legendary! #Bahubali @ssrajamouli
patisaumyakanta: Plz don't compare bahubali to othr nach gana tapori type movie.i proud of south cinema jo hollywood ko takkar dene ke liye kaam kar raha hai
Paras4989: Its really awesome movie in indian history @ Bahubali rocks... Amazing graphics and animation ..of cause actors & Directors effort
PANDUNANAKASH: Wow!! Lol its prabhas amazing Enjoyed bahubali soo much love u darlling prabhas#prabhas http://twitter.com/PANDUNANAKASH/status/622223655984967680/photo/1
P_hindustani: मान गए लेखक वी विजयेंद्र प्रसाद! बाहुबली व बजरंगी लिखनेवाले. दोनों सुपरेस्ट-डूपरेस्ट! चेतन भगत,सलीम,जावेद सब पीछे #bajrangi #Bahubali
P_Haasan: Is it #Bahubali or #WOWbali ? What an amazing movie! Kudos to the entire team of #Bahubali !! #Mustsee https://t.co/NBtoNJ7PaG
No_sane: #Bahubali of the year. http://twitter.com/No_sane/status/622161855788617728/photo/1
NanduMohan05: Watched #Bahubali yesterday...one of India's best film I should say...and hats off to the great director @ssrajamouli
Nairrrrrrrr: Can't Get Enough Of Bahubali!!
MozezSingh: Saw two amazing films this week. The hauntingly brilliant Amy & the jaw dropping experience that is a film,Bahubali. Cinemas genius spectrum
MoreyGanesh: Such amazing pleasure to watched Bahubali... This is called film...
MonikaDhoundiya: Don't miss this movie... #Bahubali https://t.co/buBps3oRSK
monicapiyali: Bahubali the Most Wonderful Movie i have ever seen.
manoharmanohar6: I proud of bahubali team and darling prabash, rana duggupi congratulations sir good blessed to all peoples
manjuds: Hats off! #Bahubali
manishnikam7001: Bahubali rocks in theatre http://twitter.com/manishnikam7001/status/622125681334300673/photo/1
mangrol1: With #Ramdan and #Eid, India also celebrated a #religion called #Bollywood, thanks to #Bahubali n now #BajrangiBhaijaanStorm. Superb!!
mahesh4shriya: "I really liked Bahubali :) Congratulations @ssrajamouli sir, what a film he made" - @shriya1109 Compliment with Heart <3 #Baahubali
kumaressun: #Bahubali proud to India movies http://twitter.com/kumaressun/status/622325255902597121/photo/1
kottayam_kaaran: Saw #Bahubali wat a movie yaar...
KavyaDaga: #Bahubali A cinematic experience like none other! That too on such a scale! Regardless of a few potholes ! #MustWatch
kamalrukhkhan: Bahubali. One word. Epic.@karanjohar
jsaideepak: First half of Bahubali is amateurish n ham-handed.Typical masala. It's d 2nd half tht keeps d audience glued to its seats. 1/n
joshuavinod94: Hi friend I watched Bahubali it's very nice movie
jaiprakashdhak1: Bahubali.. The great movie.. much awaited.. must watch film.. http://twitter.com/jaiprakashdhak1/status/622206151824814080/photo/1
ITZzmeSatheesh: Bahubali rating:4.3 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1628856857386015
iamratulkhan: Story wrighter of BB is none other than Bahubali, Makkhi[Idea], Magadheera Story writer. Vijandra Prasad... hat's off Sir.
IAmKumarManoj: Bahubali देखने के बाद Bajrangi Bhaijaan देखना बिलकुल ऐसे ही है,, जैसे मट्टन या चिकेन बिरयानी खाने के बाद टिंडे की सब्जी खाना ॥
iAmHrtless: दूसरी बार ।।।। #बाहुबली #Bahubali अद्भुत ।।। हर हर महादेव ।।। वाकई पहली बार अपनी प्राचीन भारतीय परम्परा का दिव्य... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=776018389177545
iamArunkiras: #Bahubali now i watched such a wonderful movie hatsoff @ssrajamouli direction and cg
iamarun92: Just nw I watchd Bāhubali Na bhootho na bhavishyath No other muvi can beat diz epic Awsm prfrmnce by @tamannaahspeaks http://twitter.com/iamarun92/status/622130198629081088/photo/1
haivinoth: Finally watched Bahubali.Worth more than the money spent.Satyaraj and RamyaKrishnan stays in the mind even after... https://www.facebook.com/hai.vinoth/posts/10203460147222604
gangadhar44441: bahubali superrrrrrr http://twitter.com/gangadhar44441/status/622334144308121600/photo/1
FakeRainaNephew: From Set Max to Inox , South Indian Movies Roxxx . Bahubali Roxxx ⚡️⚡️
DewchandraSubba: sorry to say..but bahubali is better then bajarangi bhaijaan..
devendraw001: Worth 9.4! #Bahubali
destinationsrik: If you haven't watched #Bahubali yet, go and watch... One of it's kind... Excellent screen play, super exciting, exciting narration...
DarkArtillerist: Saw #Bahubali yesterday. Good movie. Director Rajamouli needs special applause.
CALaxmanSuthar: #Bahubali the movie which maintain the spirit of Indian movie style and win the heart of Hollywood
BharatBahl: Rajamouli deserves every bit of praise for his vision as a director. Telugu cinema should be proud of #Bahubali. Amazing!
babaSolutiondas: I can digest South Indian movie exaggeration if it's like #Bahubali too good
avkadam31: Bahubali The movie is worth more than Millions @bahubali
aspraveen: It was great to watch #Bahubali kudos to the team @BahubaliMovie
AshDubey_: Most amazing part is that #Bahubali did NOT go to foreign locale to create such amazing visual treats. Its all Kerala & Hyd Ramoji film City
aselasebastian: #Baahubali is an astounding entertainment, you only get to watch this kind of feature once in all time. I take my hat off. #Bahubali
anujbagarwal: But credit to the visual effects team of #Bahubali. Barring a couple of scenes, Some really amazing visuals for a desi film. Take a bow.
anitasangwan: After a long time ... a movie in which I did not see my watch... #Bahubali
anitakashyap: bahubali movie... omg.. what a mind thralling vivification of The Bahubali .. loved it
alka_jhawar: Watched #Bahubali yddq.jjay. Now I know what grand means. Still bounded in its effects. Not to b missed in 2016.
agankit: #Bahubali a must watch....
aditichcoholic: Love bahubali movie!!!
abhishek009kk: Bahubali.. Beyond indian standerds .. I have ever seen the film like this ... Whatched in telagu even i am a rajasthani @ssrajamouli selute
abhilashanumul1: Bahubali movie is superb specially tanq for ss rajamouli sir ...brebhas .rana
abarajithan13: Bahubali such ah wonderfull terific movie.
AassiKumar: Must watch Bahubali movie....
9d43e93fc27e49e: Bahubali is very great movi..
94Chvarunkumar: Everyone must watch....dont miss to experience India's biggest motion picture on big screens...#Bahubali mania#prabhas...
74e45d56accf4ff: Bahubali is the awesome
112344455: Bahubali is great movie this yeat
007DONFAN: Yesterday I saw two good films Mad Max & Bahubali.
realsiddalvi: bahubali ok movie
prachisoni78: still i can't understand what's in this movie bahubali..why people loving it so much
MeoManang: guys don't watch Bahubali....bcoz it sucks!!!!! bakwas movie hai....par tarif toh Jada hi suna tha!!!!!
meenabhatia: Daughter's friend says Bahubali sucks. Got upset with some goat sacrifice in the movie.
manikantaprof: Just watched #Bahubali............. it very very bad,,,,, not until expectation... We can see only for visuals
maanniiiiiii: #Bahubali Poor CG works Below avg movie Slow first half and a dead slow second half Kudos light man and caravan Good Try My Rating 1.876/5
Luftmensch03: Bahubali #BestComedyMovie :'D :'D
This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.
Parental Guidance:
- Violence: Loads of war scenes and scenes of torture – and gruesome too.
- Language: Clean
- Nudity & Sexual content: A couple of songs with some physical intimacy shown, though nothing graphic. One scene which implies sex.
- Concept: A war is brimming and then it happens.
- General Look and Feel: Visually very appealing.
![[Facebook page of Bahubali]](/static/images/icons/facebook_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Twitter account of Bahubali]](/static/images/icons/twitter_small.png){kind=icon}
![[YouTube channel of Bahubali]](/static/images/icons/youtube_small.png){kind=icon}
![[Wikipedia page of Bahubali]](/static/images/icons/wiki_small.png){kind=icon}
![[IMDB Page of Bahubali]](/static/images/icons/imdb_small.png){kind=icon}
Comments (30)
Direction: 2.5
Story: 1
Lead Actors: 2
Character Artists: 2
Dialogues: 0.5
Screenplay: 0.5
Music Director: 0.5
Lyrics: 0.5
Watch if u have nothing better to do?? Meeta Kabra, sorry to say but u do need a break. Baahubali is an Indian cinematic masterpiece. A mythological war film of epic proportions that every indian can be proud of. The 30 minutes battle sequence is something I've never witnessed in any Bollywood film before despite the high production value and higher global reach of Hindi films. Baahubali deserves every bit of accolades that its receiving and more. Can;t wait for the conclusion now!
Agree with Anuj. I'd always come to WOGMA... the likes of Shubhra Gupta and Rajeev Masand, who seldom rate movies highly, have given it a 4/5.
Nice review.. all my friends loved this movie..i am waiting to watch it
5 looks with Same Dress
@meetu,i have not seen the movie but I must say that u have some way judging a movie. And I feel that u r too hung up on "story" all the time. Unless it is bachpan se lekar budhape ki kahani, it's not a story :)
what a pathetic review!!
abosolutly right on the money with the review.guys wake up you want call this movie as pride of our country cinema,then what about movies made by satyajit ray,movies like Mother India,Lagaan,Lunch box which have raised the bar of movie making in our country.I come from Andhra pradesh and I know the values of tollywood cinema which produced national award winners like urvashi sharada,directors like bapu,Jyandyala many others.I feel Erra mandaram is the pride of our telugu cinema.I have no problems with Ss Rajamouli and his mentor k raghavender rao vision of movie making because on the end it takes lot of pain to canvas a movie.but that should not judge a movie calibre.it should be it sheer ability to lose ourself in it and enjoying its fragnance at its core.
Your site - your prerogative, meetuji. But I couldn’t help breaking it down to you, since in my opinion you are kind of missing the point by several zip codes at the very least.
The movie is about war, but epics are not made on rom coms, pedantic monologues by aamir khan or two joggers conversing in a park. If an ambitious movies has to be mounted, war – which has been the running theme of humanity since the human-spine straightened couple of millennia ago, has to be a part of it. So sorry it did not appeal to your feministic virtues. Epics need war. To condense patriotism, love, deceit basically the length and breadth of human emotions into 3 hours. And I know you might giggle but the effort was to make an epic.
Cheesy Vs Pseudo-intellectual: I am aware of the general rules , scantily clad women in south Indian movies = cheesy and any movie made within a budget of Rs. 3 lakhs or has aamir khan in it = intellectual peaks of indian cinema.
Lets try being open minded for a second for a change;
1) A woman inspires a man to surpass and achieve an insurmountable challenge which he had been trying all his life (quite literally a mountain coz maybe the director was aware our intellectual peaks) 2) A man pursues and woos his woman (that is natural in the nature-southies don’t hold any copyrights on it) 3) The pair find completeness and fill a void that haunts them all life 4) And after they consummate (Baba re baba, they were not married no!!!! – now that we are absolutely indian for a miniscule second), the man accepts her completely and takes on her challenges as his own. Hmm how cheesy!!! I mean seriously, its like do we have to symbolize and condense the very journey of a man-woman into few short minutes so that an average Indian may catch a glimpse of his life on the big screen and be inspired for it-How middle class right, Mrs Sarabhai.
Now the “ISI mark”+ISO 9001 benchmark for an intellectual film:
AK (Aamir khan) pedants about :
1)TZP-How to raise your child-Pride of your DVD shelf.
2)PK-How to pray to god-Add to must watch list.
3)3 Idiots-How to study!!!!!!!!!!!-Buy the DVD already.
4)Dhobi Ghat - How to……. waste money while high on pseudointellectual crystal meth sold only in South Mumbai?? (): Add to must watch list.
Sorry for the long post. Have been and will be a strong visitor to the site. Posted only because after completely missing the rating on “Namaste London” (Yes I go that back with your site) This might be your next “epic” miss…..Happy posting Meetuji.
Bahubali-The Beginning is a cinematic masterpiece by a visionary craftsman named SS Rajamouli. I'm eagerly awaiting the conclusion and so are the millions who've adored and appreciated this epic across the globe.
Read my complete review at
http://thesimplemoviereviewer.blogspot.in/
@Prabhakar : Completely agree with you. But instead of targetting Aamir Khan whose movies cater to all strata of the audience right from urban cappachino pseudo intellectuals to single screen front benchers, you should have taken examples of film-makers like Vishal Bharadwaj, Rajat Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap among others who've been boring, snoring and bugging the audiences for decades together with their so called "intelligent" brand of cinema.
@Raju : Lunchbox is no masterpiece. Its a boring, sleep inducing piece of art made for arm chair critics and kitty party aunts to awe at. There is nothing special or entertaining about that movie that would make a common,normal and sane cinematic viewer willing to spend 2 hours of his/her life for the sake of a bit of entertainment go gaga about. If you wanna talk of low budget, small scale cinematic classics you'd rather stick to the Wednesday's and Kahaani's of Bollywood.
Now Reviews time over. With all The Ratings its high Budget movie .. Time to Go to Watch it. :D
@Suman finally we agree :D And what a film to agree on :D
@Munish for some reason, I take that as a compliment :P
@Ananya Thank you.
@Pragya Yep, for me story and/or how the story is told comes first. It could be a one line story, but if it is told well, I am smitten. Everything else is _almost_ always secondary. Now what comprises "told well" would be different for different people.
@sidheart :D
@Raju Yeah, I thought someone needs to call a spade a spade.
@Prabhakar I agree with you. A war movie has to be a war movie and be about battle strategies and counter-strategies. I have seen quite a few war movies - not only kingdoms, but also families and gangs - and have appreciated them. If by "feministic virtues" you mean - wanting romance; to the contrary, I thought Bahubali should have lost the song and dance and romance and focussed on the war.
My problem with the romantic track wasn't that it existed but because it existed for the sake of introducing those two songs and the sex. Take the lady out of the film and it doesn't change one bit. Bahubali was drawn towards the mountain from when he was little - because of his internal connect. The romance wasn't an indispensable element, it was a prop.
The problem I had with the story was to do with the reasons behind the war which the film chose to emphasize on - Devsena's story (which was only alluded to) and the actual "how" of Bahubali's ouster?
I don't see why the comparison with Aamir Khan films? And interesting how you didn't pick Aamir Khan films that I didn't rate well - Dhoom 3 and Ghajini - which film/content-wise are more comparable to Bahubali than the preachy one's you've picked.
Also, while I might have rated those Aamir Khan films well, my views of him and his preaching are better expressed in this blog post - https://heartranjan.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/why-is-aamir-khan-such-a-pretentious-prick/
Overall I liked the films and I try to rate films as a whole rather than rating the film as per my like or dislike towards the star.
Thank you for your patronage! I really appreciate it. Hope to keep you coming back.
@Prabhakar: what an article. I could feel that it has come from the bottom of your heart. BTW pk original rating on wogma was even the keen .... The ratiywas upgraded later.
@Fan and for all readers actually, wogma follows a system where once the movie moves out of theaters it goes into a different system of rating because the ratings like "Watch for sure, preferably on theater" or "The keen must watch on screen; else DVD" wouldn't make sense after the movie is out of theaters, especially for a person new to wogma.
So, PK was rated "The keen must watch on screen; else DVD" which basically means, watch the film for sure even if it is on TV/DVD. This rating, after the movie is out of theaters, translates to "Add to "must watch" list".
Points being:
- The ratings should make sense after the movie is out of theater.
- I do not update ratings! That would be a disservice to my readers, make me a cheat and be just wrong.
@Meetu: now there's something that I learn about wogma.
...off late I have realized that there are intellectuals (say Aamir fans ), pseudo intellectuals (say Aamir fans but proclaiming Irffan/Rajkumar Rao as their favorite ) and a totally new breed pseudo pseudo intellectuals ( thali ke baigans but like hating Aamir just because they think they are above intellectuals and pseudo intellectuals... They have convinced themselves that they are better/knowledgeable/opiniated than others whereas in all probability they are just more opiated than others....
Anyways ...I liked bahubali...despite a flawed screenplay ....the feminist in me was overjoyed with 2 strong female characters...nope...not included tamannah in 2....and cinematography/CGI ...despite most characters being black/white...was happy go see a couple of Gray ones...regarding the chronological order...I think I will prefer the back and forth approach...very harry potteresque....enjoyed being part of audience who is learning with the protagonist as to ....he is special and ...why is he specia . ...anyways ...to each his/her own
Sorry to say this but in a long time I felt like your review was all over the place. I think you completely missed the point of the movie. Perhaps you did not know there was going to be a second part of the movie, hence the suspense and enigma of some bits?
I think movies made at this scale and proportion should be encouraged not nitpicked. I actually liked the back and forth narrative because it helped build the importance of the protagonist's persona... Yes, the song and dance was out of place but we have to allow some cinematic liberties in the interest of the overall narrative...
Agree to disagree!
@Fan :D
@Divya @Moviebuff Yep! To each his own and agree to disagree :)
Just done watching the Epic - ' Baahubali ' - It is Scintillating Spectacular Sensational Movie.
~ Prabhas & Rana Daggubati as Baahu and Bhalla have given career best performances. They really gave it all they had in them. Prabhas is lucky to have a national and country wide and all popular vernacular language speaking simultaneous audience to his movie and this is a privilege no star hero from telugu film industry had so far including Mahesh Babu and Pawan Kalyan. In some instances - When Raana as Bhalladeva tells his dialogues - they sounded just like Venkatesh. I am not kidding.
~ Ramya Krishnan as Sivagaami - the raajamaatha in this movie. Ammoru, Narasimha and Baahubali - that's how ramya krishna will be remembered in that order from now.
~ Satyaraj - Kattappa - the Senaadhipathi - really lived in that role. Nasser as Bijjaladeva was like Shakuni of Mahabharatha and he has given convincing performance too.
~Tamanna in a new kind of a role for her was good and our jejemma 'Anushka' in a short role was alright and surely she is going to rock in the second last part in 2016.
~ Prabhakar as Kalakeya the war lord - his character has lot of shades and influence of Khal Drogo - the Dothraki King of Game of Thrones where in he speaks a new language and has a huge army at his service and as seemingly very violent and fearsome.
~ M.M.keeraavaani is our very own Hans Zimmer of Telugu Film Industry. Music is just heavenly and really gave all the scenes and songs - life. BGM in the war sequence will take you to a different world of Maahishmathi.
~Senthil is our James Cameron .. err ..i mean james cameraman :) Jokes apart. He has given us some great never before seen visuals.
~Sets and Locations are great. Dialogues could have been much better and more impactful.
~Visual Effects is the other star in this movie which is already a multi-starrer. Yes. We can create and recreate some mind-bending and pretty cool visual effects in our own Hyderabad, India. we can proudly say that this movie is total ' MAKE IN INDIA' and pakka 'MADE in INDIA' and definitely World-Class.
~ lastly our own Jakkanna - SS Rajamouli - What a world-class product and a movie he has made. Just played with visual effects, CGI to enhance his narration and story telling. I can definitely see the 2 years of Making behind this movie. Maahishmathi Kingdome bird's view is something you have never seen before or may be a glimpses in little in Udaygarh Kingdom in Magadheera movie. He has given us a feast to our eyes and our senses and pretty much fires up our imagination too with his excellent directorial abilities.
~ He dedicates one song 'Paccha Bottesina' song to his guru 'Raghavendra Rao' :D :D who has in the past given us some mother of all 'fantasy songs' in Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari. One 'Item song' was for the mass audiience and the quintessential B and C centers. Dheevara song is my personal favorite - both visually and audio too - it has been on the loop since last 1 month.
~The war sequence in the movie is the heart of the movie and it literally is edge of seat entertainment.
~ I am sure he must had spent a lot of time on the designing of the weapons of which I found Rana's Mace and his chariot were really cool and creative. Mahabharatha and Ramayana - Our Original Indian Epics - they have huge influence on this movie. There is a reason he has decided to make this movie in two parts and so he can elaborately show his skills and talents to a national and possibly international audience too.
with some breath-taking visuals and sequences.
~ Some of hair-raising and fantastic scenes - Shivudu lifting Shiva Lingam, Introduction of Kattappa, Introduction of Bhallaladeva, adivi shesh beheading and the next scene when everyone realise that Shivudu is their Mahendra Baahubhali (which was similar to Chatrapathi interval scene)
~For commercial reasons and to engage all sort and all kinds of audience he had to keep them. That 35 min war sequence should make up for all glitches and flaws.
Lastly - guys and girls - I have always believed 'Glass- Half Empty, Half Full' philosophy. There might be some flaws, weak links and some stuff which might have not appealed us as much in this movie but 80% of the movie is truly incredible and showcases our telugu cinema stamina to our country - India. I am very happy to see this movie. In the theater today - a huge chunk of Gujarathi speaking audience have watched this movie in telugu which had subtitles for them to understand. Now that's the RajaMouli - the maestro's magic. BenHur, 300, Troy, Gladiator, Alexander, Hercules - we all have enjoyed and loved these hollywood period war epics and i am really chuffed to see a war fantasy epic on the very gigantic class but with our native telugu and indian emotions and culture showcasing.
~This is one of the successfully marketed movies and brand in the recent times. The audience has been prepped and primed with all sort of making videos, trivia, time and effort spent on this movie much much before the release of the movie it self for the last 1 year. So, there will be a natural and unnatural hype and great expectations from the audience. May be that was all needed for a movie touted to be the india's biggest motion picture aimed for a country wide release in 4 major language to attain maximum attention and visibility and to get back their investment as well.
~Encourage and Enjoy these kind of new content, imaginative movies that are made with so much passion, dedication, persistence and imagination or else we would forever be treated to garbage and junk like Aagadu, Evadu, Shadow, Rabhasa and same old forumalic and archaic movies.
Maniratnam, Shankar, & next....is our Rajamouli. Thats the impact he would generate after this movie and he would strengthen his already soaring brand value all around. One thing is for sure he would not direct a single telugu only movie at all in the future and all will be bi-linguals and infact tri-linguals too. ( tamil and hindi).
My rating is 4.5 / 5 - Just watch it and live the epic just like i lived the epic that is Baahubhali.
He ends the movie with a powerful punching twist and invites us to see his movie's conclusion next year 2016. I found this too as a very bold and experimental zeal to give something new to our movie-crazy audience by the producers duo - ARKA media and rajamouli. Knowing rajamouli - he would cover up all the glitches, flaws with a better taut screenplay and reveal the complete story in the BB-the conclusion 2016. But this BB-the beginning is on its way to an industry hit breaking all records.
Jai Maahishmathi. Jai Baahubhali Jai Rajamouli !!
@Krish Thank you for your review. Very detailed and very well articulated.
As you would notice, I barely talk about the acting in my review and you have spent quite some time on describing the actors. In contrast, you haven't spoken about the story and I have expressed my disappointment about the gaping gap in the writing department. It just goes to show how different people look for different things in films. And after reading a review, the reader can decide if the things that worked for the reviewer will work for them or not and same goes for things that didn't work for the writer.
Thank you again for writing at length.
Going to Wogma page
http://wogma.com/cast-crew/v-vijayendra-prasad/basic/
we will notice that the gentleman has only 2 films to his credit at the time of posting this remark. But what 2 films!!! Man with the golden pen?
@Fan Unfortunately, wogma database doesn't have films that haven't been reviewed here. :(
@Meetu: True, he has given many more in Telugu and other South Indian regional languages. In Hindi though, Wikipedia and imdb list one more than what is on wogma - Rowdy Rathore. Even though I did not like RR it still cannot be disputed that commercially it was a successful film too. Thus the guy does have an enviable record, at least when it comes to Hindi films.
@Fan Unfortunately, wogma database doesn't have films that haven't been reviewed here. :(
Review speaks mind. Another overhyped movie.
In a jovial mode, considering this films incredible run at the ticket window, i hereby declare Prabhas a bigger star than Aamir, Salman and Shahrukh.
When will Hindi film producers stop remaking Force, Drishyam, Billu, Kick and start remaking Robot and Baahubali?
Catch-up time. After Piku, it was time to catch up on Bahubaali.
Did I enjoy watching the film: I would say YES. Usually films that have already built up a hype before I watch them end of falling a dud - but Bahubali did keep me engaged. All throughout I kept regretting that I was unable to catch it on large screen - I could feel the spellbinding effect some of the scenes would have had on me.
It is a war film made on a gigantic budget and with a skilled production team. Throughout history (Hollywood or Bollywood) epic war films mounted on a huge budget have always been successful. Benhur in Hollywood, and Mughal-e-azam in Bollywood for instance.
Bahubali thus was destined to be a major hit, story or no story. It is an epic war film. Although I must say that there is a story, and the intermission (end of beginning) has the right amount of suspense value to make people throng for the Conclusion. Although it would not take a genius to guess the reason for the twist in the ending.
It is a visually breathtaking film. The waterfall scene splashed in every promo video is awesome. I would have loved to watch it on big screen - it is filmed for the big screen. However the shot that stood out for me was the magnificient conclusion of the fight sequence [comment partially deleted because gives away a scene in the movie]. Wow moment.
The film worked for me because it was able to connect. I could feel for the characters - the villains have so very well been established, the down trodden have so very well been portrayed - that when right fights the evil you end up shouting "Don't leave the b******". You really pine for the villain to die the most cruel death possible - and that is a plus point for the team. To make your heart tug with the characters is no mean affair.
War sequences of course are memorable. Agree with Meetu that probably songs were not required, or at least not well timed. An item number found its way nevertheless in a war epic - how market economics dictate film making :-)
Finally a few words on the real winner - special effects or CGI. Extreme fluctuations in quality - some scenes are of the best quality every seen, and some scenes are so horrible that you feel the mediocre quality animated TV shows on Indian mythological characters should be given national awards. It is difficult for me to understand how come there was such a difference in the quality of the scenes. Good part is that the scenes with topnotch effects are really topnotch and take your breath away.
Final words: totally agree with one part of Meetu's assessment, if this film has to be watched then it must be watched on a big screen - probably a bit late now for those who haven't yet watched it.
Bahubali is one of the best movie in the world. They beats hollywood.
Worst review ever read!! Disappointing!
Go and wash ur face first
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