FORBES : What 's So Special About 'Baahubali'?

Last weekend the South Indian film Baahubali: The Beginning, opened to record-shattering numbers, clearing $22 million in its domestic debut and nearly $34 million in its first five days of international release. 

Aside from the distinction of being called the most expensive Indian movie ever made, what is it that’s drawing audiences to the film? 

There are several good reasons moviegoers are flocking to theaters for Baahubali, and why you should too if the film is playing near you. Let’s start with the most important element:  

1. S.S. Rajamouli :

Writer-director S.S. Rajamouli has established himself as one of India’s most reliable hitmakers, a rare talent who combines technical prowess with a unique storytelling flair, visual panache with real emotional depth. Both humble in personal demeanor and fiercely passionate in his artistic ambitions, Rajamouli is the kind of pure filmmaker that Hollywood used to embrace before the modern era of franchise films. Of Baahubali he has said, “This world of larger-than-life characters, larger-than-life emotions, larger-than-life environments, I have been living for as long as I can remember.” 

2. Crowd-Pleasing Epic Scale :

Although the $40 million that Baahubali’s producers spent on the 2-part blockbuster was modest by American standards, in India, with its low talent fees, crew wages and construction costs, that sort of amount can go a long way, and every bit of the budget shows up on the screen. 

The film’s massive shooting schedule and enormous labor pool bring to mind the audacious productions of director David Lean, who famously spent nearly 18 months in punishing conditions shooting his masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia. 

Incredibly, Baahubali actually doubled that film’s schedule. Here are a few facts and figures to describe the scale of the Indian production: 

# 1 full year of preproduction 

# 25 artists who created 15,000 storyboard sketches 

# 380 shooting days over 3 years 

# 2,000 stuntmen 

# Thousands of costumes, weapons and props 

Baahubali: the Beginning concludes with a heart-pumping 45 minute battle sequence and a cliffhanger ending that is sure to bring audiences flooding back for more when Baahubali: the Conclusion rolls out in 2016. 

3. A Visual Feast :

Baahubali was filmed in such exotic and spectacular locations as the Rock Gardens in Kurnool and the Athirappilly Falls in Thrissur district of Kerala, and on massive sets constructed at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. Cinematographer K.K. Senthil Kumar and his crew took full advantage of these rich locations, with superb camera and lighting work. 

With this, his tenth film, Rajamouli has clearly mastered the technical aspects of visual storytelling. As Mike McCahill put it in his review for The Guardian: “Throughout, Rajamouli strikes a near-perfect balance between physicality and poetics. That waterfall becomes both mirror and measure of personal growth; one lingering slo-mo shot of a warrior’s chainmail in motion would stir a Zhang Yimou or Wong Kar-wai into renewed action.” 

4. Simple, Powerful Storytelling :

Baahubali is steeped in Indian, and particularly Telugu, mythology, but its straight-ahead narrative and universal themes make it accessible for any moviegoer. In interviews Rajamouli has credited classic Indian epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as inspiration for Baahubali, but one can also find references in the film to the biblical stories of Moses and the Greek legend of Hercules. 

The story revolves around two brothers — Baahubali (translated as “the one with strong arms”) and Bhallaladeva — played by Telugu movie stars Prabhas Raju and Rana Daggubati, and their battle for control of a rich, ancient kingdom. The female leads are played by Tamannaah and Anushka Shetty. The narrative blends tender romance with jaw-dropping action,and even at 2 hours and 39 minutes, the pacing feels brisk. 

The movie was made in the Telugu and Tamil languages, and dubbed into Hindi and Malayalam. It has performed extremely well in all four language territories, and its prospects in the international market look very bright.

Credits : Forbes

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