Movie Review: Baahubali 2: The Conclusion

First published: Follo.in

It would probably be a foregone conclusion that Baahubali 2: The Conclusion would be a visual spectacle. Of the order that has not been witnessed in Indian films this far. That it would only up the game since the first part has been understood as well from what we have already seen in the trailer. The real test for Rajamouli hence was to get the basic screenplay right.

For a film which has been promoted with #WKKB – which stands for ‘Why Kattappa Killed Baahubali’, the primary factor that this movie rides on is curiosity. And the curiosity so high that it is almost scary. And that’s the fall of this phenomenally mounted film. The reason given is not half as interesting as the question posed!

After a superlative built up of characters, heroic and smart, for some reason we see a few characters wavering beyond recognition. Primary among these being the character of Queen mother Shivagami. For reasons, which cannot be disclosed in this note, her decisions fail half as much sense as they did in the first half. All of it because the writers resort to the oldest reason in the book, that can be ascribed to ‘Why Kattappa Killed Baahubali’. The ‘reason’ behind Kattappa’s much-discussed action comes up late in the second half, but you would have figured the ‘twist’ out well before that. Almost a let down there!

Ironic hence, that despite a half-baked storyline, Baahubali 2 shall manage to keep you enthralled. And the reason for that is the scale and the grandeur and the drama that Rajamouli manages to create out of simplistic situations.

Armed with an unrivalled vision, Rajamouli creates visual after visual that leave you spellbound. He is aided by the cinematography of KK Senthil Kumar, some heavy duty special effects and sound, and music by MM Kreem. Also, keeping his intention of making a war film, he has two brilliantly choreographed plus numerous smaller fights that keep the adrenalin high.

Rajamouli even gets the first half right, unlike the dull first half in Baahubali: The Beginning. In this film, there is not a moment of dullness, as he fills it up with action and humour. The second half gets wobbly.

Baahubali 2 rides of Prabhas and Anushka Shetty and they do not let down. They do exactly what the camera needs them to do. Rana Daggubati and Sathyaraj come up with equally impressive performances.

All the good things come together and help Baahubali 2 stand tall. This one is a spectacle that makes sense only in the theaters. If you are one of those who like to wait out till the movies are available on smaller screens, trust us, you will not find the movie half as compelling on your computer or mobile screen.