There is something “FANTASTIC” about Rajamouli and his craft of storytelling. You will watch an innate story line and a very ordinary plot transform itself into a fantastic fun ride through his eyes. His vision is extraordinary and when he translates it onscreen you would feel indulgent, walking out thoroughly enjoying his amusing antics.
BAAHUBALI is no classic, it’s not even powerful as the name would suggest. Yet it is an amazing rollercoaster ride that you would enjoy taking. BAAHUBALI isn’t exactly a visual splendor. More times than not, the visual brilliance are pretty functional and in sync with the screenplay. The gleaming illustrations are rarely flattering and stay loyal to the script. Surprisingly BAAHUBALI does not even border on being melodramatic. The story is as old as it can get, but is wonderfully packaged. The screenplay borders on being polite and at times enthralls you. The story telling belongs to the olden genre where the characters take time to define themselves, the plot gets unraveled leisurely and there are moments like the romance between the lead pair which would make you feel is unduly long. Yet there are some Rajamouli touches in them that make you laud his ingenious caliber. The dialogues though, are found wanting.
Prabhas looks every bit a BAAHUBALI below his chin, but above it, he looks like a lost man wanting to be a prince. His dialogue delivery leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps the South Indian film industry hasn’t got any actor with a star appeal that would fit in the physical description of the role. Being the only choice, Prabhas does a decent job but fails to elevate scenes that demand high voltage performance from him. Rana on the other hand looks menacing. The kingpins of the movie are Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishnan and they play their part convincingly. Ramya Krishnan sets fire with her dialogue delivery and walks away with the honors, though she plays a small, yet significant part. Tamannah is tame as a warrior, but puts in an honest effort. De-glammed Anushka plays a very small role.
Technically the movie is brilliant. If the scenes in the beginning are splendidly shot, the snowstorm scene is riveting. The battle in the climax is wonderfully choreographed without a dull moment. The 30 minute climax is clever and inventive. Rajamouli is never short of ideas and carves out a battlefield that is thoroughly enjoyable. Though everyone behind the scenes put in an amazing effort, special applause is due to Keeravani the music director of the film. It is he who overcomes any shortcoming in performance by the actors with his scintillating background score. The songs in the film are above average and one song certainly was designed to satiate a certain crowd.
BAAHUBALI is more an attempt by Rajamouli to provide us a sumptuous feast, but in two parts. The first part ends abruptly but gives us a glimpse of what is to come next. BAAHUBALI is definitely a giant leap for Indian cinema. A benchmark for other film makers to think and come out from the confines of their comfort. A testimony to the fact that we have better stories and aren’t bereft of ideas to present them dexterously. BAAHUBALI is just “THE BEGININNING” by this brilliant and probably the best commercial film maker Rajamouli.
