Baahubali 2 - Five things to expect from the Magnum Opus

Article Credits : Firstpost.com

Director S S Rajamoulis magnum opus Baahubali 2: The Conclusion is set for the biggest release of any Indian film. The film will hit theatres on April 28, 2017 in more than 7000 screens across India. Releasing in four Indian languages - Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil – Rajamouli’s epic war drama is predicted to outdo the first part, which grossed over Rs 650 crores. 

With such high expectations, Rajamouli has ensured that Baahubali 2: The Conclusion will be nail-biting for the audience. Having already made about Rs 500 crore pre-release thanks to sale of satellite and distribution rights, this movie is set to change Indian cinema. Both the films have been touted to have a budget of 250 crores. 

Here are five things you can expect from the second part of the film: 

Visual Grandeur:

When the audience saw Baahubali, they were in awe of the visuals and how seamless they flowed between war scenes and romances. Now with Baahubali 2, the audience can be rest assured that the visuals are going to be grander and the sets more lavish. 

Rana Daggubati who plays Bhallala Deva in Baahubali has revealed that the film is much larger in scale and is far bigger than the first part. National Award-winning art director Sabu Cyril has worked on this masterpiece and stated that 500 to 2000 people worked every day on sets for nearly five years. Sabu Cyril added that he was not just an art director for this film but also an architect and engineer as the scale of the war drama demanded it. From creating extensive palace sets to showcasing the royalty of an ancient kingdom, Sabu Cyril and his relentless team have achieved the impossible. 

Emotional drama :

Director S S Rajamouli has made sure that the characters written by his father K. V. Vijayendra Prasad have shone on screen. Baahubali 2 The Conclusion will be heavy on emotional drama as compared to the first part. Why? Because there are many relationships that will be explored and secrets revealed in this film. 

The big question as to why Kattappa killed Baahubali is on everyone’s minds. It has been revealed that this scene will be quite traumatic as he killed someone whom he worshipped but the reason for the murder is said to be valid. The politics of war in this war drama supposedly ends up taking the life of this king. 

But what was Sivagami’s role in this whole story? She asks God to save Shivudu before she does but she set in motion a series of events that led to her death. Baahubali 2 will reveal what these were. Some rumours say that she was the one who threw out Amarendra and Devasena when they got married. 

The second part trailer focussed a lot on Prabhas (Mahendra Baahubali and Amarendra Baahubali) and it’s evident that the film will feature him during his period as king and the things that go wrong in his relationships and life. We will also see Bhallala Deva (Rana Daggubati) consumed by the need for power and his obsession with ascending the throne. All the deviousness he is upto will tumble out of the closet. 

Both the young Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallala Deva will be much fitter, stronger and war-ready having learnt martial arts and more for this film. 

War sequences:

If you thought the war sequence in Baahubali The Beginning was fantastic, wait till you see the second part. With the first part grossing over Rs 650 crores and having a global audience, director S S Rajamouli decided to up the ante where the war sequences were concerned. 

He wanted to make them the best ever in Indian cinema and as comparable to any Hollywood film. Since he had a bigger budget for part 2, Rajamouli hired not one but five of the best Hollywood stunt technicians for the climax sequences. 

Lee Whitaker is a well-known name now in India thanks to the numerous Indian films he has done. He has worked on top Hollywood flicks like X-Men: Apocalypse, Pearl Harbor, Percy Jackson series and more. Joining him for this film was John Griffith of The Maze Runner and Planet of the Apes fame, and martial artist Brad Allen who has worked on many Jackie Chan films as well as films like Avatar and Kingsman: The Secret Service. 

A stunt director who shot to fame thanks to the Hobbit franchise is Morne Van Tonder and he is also part of this mega-project. Larnell Stovall, a former world and international champion in fighting, weapons and forms (kata), was also roped in by Rajamouli. Fans of Hunger Games will know him for sure. 

Given the vast stunt repertoire of these five men, the fight sequences in part 2 are going to be nothing short of mind-blowing. And this has been certified by the film’s lead actors as well. The climax scene (shot a reported cost of Rs 30 crore) will feature Mahendra Baahubali fighting his uncle Bhallaladeva and this will be historic. 

Maharani Devasena's past:

Anushka Shetty who plays Maharani Devasena is seen as a prisoner at the palace in the first part. In Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, we will see her as a fierce, young, beautiful warrior princess and yes, there’s romance with King Amarendra Baahubali. In fact, there’s talk that she will be seen as a pregnant queen who gives birth to Mahendra Baahubali. 

Finally, a love triangle:

There is a strong buzz that there is a love triangle all set to be revealed in Baahubali 2. Apparently, Bhallala Deva is also in love with Devasena. It is said that Sivagami wanted Devasena to marry Bhallala Deva but the strong-minded princess rejected him. Bhallala Deva had Maharani Devasena chained for over 25 years in the palace courtyard as we saw in part 1. And we know that she ends up marrying Amarendra Baahubali but we will find out what happened what set the wheels of jealousy, tragedy and revenge in motion.

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Rajamouli reveals crucial details about Sivagami and Devasena

Ever since the trailer of Baahubali 2 released, there has been intense speculation about why Kattappa killed Baahubali. Another aspect which caught everyone’s attention about the film is what could have gone wrong between the film’s two lead characters – Sivagami and Devasena – played by Ramyakrishna and Anushka. 

Speaking at a recent event in New Delhi, at the launch of ‘Rise of Sivagami’ novel, SS Rajamouli revealed some crucial details about the two iconic characters in the film. 

“Sivagami is a strong character, but Devasena is equally strong. The love and hate relationship between them forms the crucial 20-30 minute sequence which will be dramatic and attention holding. So many times I see the drama scenes between them and I forget to edit. I am fortunate to have those two characters in my film. They gave so much of depth to the film,” Rajamouli said. 

Is their love-hate relationship the reason why Bhallaladeva becomes the King and not Baahubali? The answer will be revealed on April 28 when the film hits the screens across the world.

Source : 123telugu.com

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How Baahubali has become Indian cinema's biggest brand

Article Credits : Firstpost.com

When 70-odd passengers shelled out Rs 7860 for a ticket on a special Air Asia flight from Bengaluru to Chennai on 22 July last year to watch Kabali on the day of its release in Rajinikanth's city, it took film promotion and branding to an altogether different level. Literally. 

Less than a year later, Baahubaali 2: The Conclusion, the second part of the technological marvel, is attempting to prove that the path shown by the superstar is not en vazhee, thannee vazhee (my path is my own). On Sunday, the pre-release function of SS Rajamouli's magnum opus will take place in the Kingdom of Mahishmati, a lavish set to be recreated at the Ramoji Film City near Hyderabad. With the event to be live streamed in 360 degrees with 4K resolution, it promises to give the viewers an out of this world and larger than life experience.

If Kabali teaser recorded 5 million views within 24 hours, beating the earlier record set by Salman Khan's Sultan, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion has proved to be the Baahubali of all trailers, with 100 million views so far. The bar has now been set really high for Rajinikanth, who will be back on the big screen with Shankar's 2.0 this October. 

Team Baahubali admits Kabali was the trendsetter as it showed how brands could associate with a movie and gain from the Rajinikanth brand by extension. If the idea behind painting an aircraft with Kabali pictures was a way to whip up the Rajini hysteria, the makers followed it up with tying up with mobile service providers that released Kabali recharge packs and Kabali branded SIM cards into the market. 

Baahubali set the ball rolling a little more unconventionally. Given Rajamouli's fascination with Amar Chitra Katha and the printed word, the hype was built up with Anand Neelankantan's The Rise of Sivagami, a book around the Baahubali story. The first part of the trilogy is already a bestseller, proof of the appetite for this modern-day tale of warrior kingdoms.

What has changed between 2014, when part one of Baahubali released, and now is not just the curiosity over why Kattappa killed Baahubali. Three years back, the makers of the film chased brands to associate their product with and did not quite succeed in convincing too many, both because corporates were skeptical about the product and paucity of time. Now Rajamouli and team are being chased by many of the same brands, with producer Shobu Yarlagadda amused at the turn of fate. 

Among the brands who are tying up with Brand Baahubali are leaders in the field of FMCG, automobiles and even confectionery brands. A leading toy manufacturer is tying up with Baahubali after taking too long to decide in 2014. Even brands totally unrelated to the theme of Baahubali want to ride on the magical experience that the second part promises. For instance, a company that manufactures machines to test blood sugar levels is keen on being associated with Baahubali and wants Prabhas to endorse the product. 

Team Baahubali expects to rake in Rs 70 to 80 crore just by endorsement associations. It will make Baahubali one of the biggest ever film brands in India.

Suresh Babu, who is distributing the Telugu version says, "The media has already lapped it up. The atmosphere is so bullish that it will do very well even if the product is not pushed aggressively. Even politicians like Narendra Modi are using references to Baahubali in their speeches.'' 

But others associated with the movie like Mahesh Koneru, film publicist says, ``There is no end to amount of buzz we can create. We want to go all out with Baahubali 2.'' 

Filmmakers believe Baahubali has changed the way world cinema now looks at India. International studios are reportedly looking to tie up with Rajamouli, as they see him as someone capable of executing big projects. An Iranian filmmaker has evinced interest in working with actor Rana Daggubati after seeing his work as Bhallaladeva.

Baahubali 2 will also release in the IMAX format, which means the viewing experience will be enhanced that much more. Already the director of photography KK Senthil Kumar is doing the TED talk circuit, talking about how he pushed the envelope in creating this scale and grandeur on the big screen. With the dubbing and post-production work going on at a feverish pitch, Rajamouli's next big date will be 27 April, when the movie will have its premiere show in London. Britain will get to see this cinematic jewel in India's crown before the rest of the world.

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