Film Review- Baahubali the Beginning (Informal)
I watched Baahubali a while ago and I can say that I was just not impressed. It's got an empty good-vs-evil done-to-death succession battle as a skeleton of a plot. The plot is so predictable that even a kindergardener would be able to fill in the blanks. And it's got a yawn-inducing run time of two and a half hours, so I guess I slept through the movie with my eyes open.
Baahubali, who is the good guy, and Bhalla Deva, who is the bad guy, fight for the Maahishmati throne. Both of them get to prove their worth when their kingdom is attacked by subhuman humanoids called Kalakeyas. So it's a no-brainer that Baahubali does a better job of defending the kingdom and wins the throne. But of course, he has to get killed off by his evil brother and father. However, he has a kid called Shiva, who is brought up blissfully ignorant of his tragic origins. So you wouldn't be getting any brownie points for guessing that Shiva avenges his father's death by killing his evil brother in battle. That's just the basic plot, all in all.
This movie is touted to be a trailblazer for its special effects. The effects were so special as to be something ridiculous that one would see in a Rajnikanth movie.
However, there is one thing really special about this movie, and it is: a strong female character. This strong female character is Sivagami, who manages to become the queen of Mahishmati without even spilling a drop of blood. Her wily political machinations allow her to trump the oily opposition of her corrupt but ineffectual husband. She also happens to be the sort of principled ruler who makes it the point to uphold dharma (law).
Avantika would have been a contender for the strong-female-character title, had she not lost her head and heart to Shiva. This woman, who can fight a hundred dacoits, can do nothing when Shiva virtually strips her naked in the name of wooing her. It's sad that the dangerous Bollywood tradition of creepy male behaviour for wooing women continues in this film.
All in all, Baahubali is a one-time watch that will be forgotten as soon as one is out of the theatre.
Baahubali, who is the good guy, and Bhalla Deva, who is the bad guy, fight for the Maahishmati throne. Both of them get to prove their worth when their kingdom is attacked by subhuman humanoids called Kalakeyas. So it's a no-brainer that Baahubali does a better job of defending the kingdom and wins the throne. But of course, he has to get killed off by his evil brother and father. However, he has a kid called Shiva, who is brought up blissfully ignorant of his tragic origins. So you wouldn't be getting any brownie points for guessing that Shiva avenges his father's death by killing his evil brother in battle. That's just the basic plot, all in all.
This movie is touted to be a trailblazer for its special effects. The effects were so special as to be something ridiculous that one would see in a Rajnikanth movie.
However, there is one thing really special about this movie, and it is: a strong female character. This strong female character is Sivagami, who manages to become the queen of Mahishmati without even spilling a drop of blood. Her wily political machinations allow her to trump the oily opposition of her corrupt but ineffectual husband. She also happens to be the sort of principled ruler who makes it the point to uphold dharma (law).
Avantika would have been a contender for the strong-female-character title, had she not lost her head and heart to Shiva. This woman, who can fight a hundred dacoits, can do nothing when Shiva virtually strips her naked in the name of wooing her. It's sad that the dangerous Bollywood tradition of creepy male behaviour for wooing women continues in this film.
All in all, Baahubali is a one-time watch that will be forgotten as soon as one is out of the theatre.
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