Baahubali 2 movie review: Prabhas steals the show with his awe-inspiring persona
Director: SS Rajamouli
Cast:Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Sathyaraj, Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia etc
No other Indian film has created this kind of pre-release hype and buzz like Baahubali – The Conclusion. Does it live up to the hype? Yes Indeed! With this sequel to part 1, SS Rajamouli has proved that it is not just another movie dubbed in multiple languages with the team who went all out to promote the film, but a visual splendor with mind-blowing sets. Big name casting, power-packed performances, spectacular action blocks, rich production values, and benchmark setting VFX are just some of the highlights of the film. And the query which fans allover were hung upon – why did Kattappa kill Baahubali – has been answered (although there was nothing intriguing about it.)
The plot of this fairy tale is simple. At the end of a mammoth drama, good triumphs over evil. In fact the Conclusion is like a prequel to the earlier version when the story commences where it left in part 1 with Kattappa narrating the tale of Mahishmati.
The routine formula of mass heroes is given a grand introduction scene here as well. Amrendra Baahubali (Prabhas) reveals himself to a massive intro where he tames a wild elephant while Raja Matha Sivakami (Ramya Krishnan) and the people of Mahishmati are on their way to the temple.
It begins with Amerandra Baahubali taking the crown and his brother Palvala Deva (Rana Daggubati) is annoyed by it. Sivagami asks Amarendra accompanied by Kattappa (Sathyaraj) to visit the countryside and get to know of people’s problems before he assumes the throne. He meets Devasena (Anushka Shetty), the princess of Kundala Kingdom and falls for her beauty and bravery instantly.
In a turn of events conspired by Palvala Deva and his evil father (Nasser), Sivagami crowns the Palvala as the new emperor and Amerandra is made the senapathi (commander). He marries Devasena. Palvala once gain hatches a plot by which he makes everyone believe that he escaped a murder attempt by Amerandra. As expected, Amerandra along with his wife Devasena were ordered to leave the palace. The rest is why Kattappa killed Baahubali and how his son Mahendra Baahubali restores his kingdom.
Prabhas steals the show with his awe-inspiring persona, fitting the character with ease. He is equally impressive in the larger-than-life fight sequences. Rana simply floors you with his menacing act. Like how Tamannah in the first part was introduced as a warrior and later used for the romantic portions, Anushka also makes a grand appearance in a daring fight sequence. Thankfully, she has a solid role to play and executes it well. Ramya Krishnan gives a power-packed performance. Sathyaraj comes throughout the film and he does justice to his part. Nasser is villainous, as per the script’s demand.
But the film is not without its flaws. There’s hardly any plot, the fight scenes are over-the-top and lengthy, the climax is a bit predictable, and you’ve got to be ready for a marathon viewing experience as the run-time is on the higher side. But Rajamouli’s grip of the visual medium overcomes these faults and with the help of the technical wizardry – Peter Heynes choreographing the stunts, Kamalakannan supervising the VFX, Senthil Kumar behind the sublime camera work, Keeravani composing the music and Madan Karky penning the dialogues, Baahubali 2 is worth a watch for the eye-candy.
