Well, the world comprises of two kinds of people…those who have seen Bahubali and those who haven’t. Until this morning, I actually belonged to the second group…those few people who had given Bahubali 1 a miss and — ERGO! — who were left wondering as to…who the hell were Katappa and Bahubali and what difference did it make as to why Katappa killed Bahubali? [Even though, I am sure they would have secretly wondered…why the hell did Katappa kill Bahubali and who has the answer?!?]
Of course, now as I sit writing this…I am a convert! Forced by a friend, I caved and agreed to watch Bahubali with them. Of course, even though it was a reluctant acceptance, the reality is…I was curious! Why had this movie captured the attention of the entire nation? What was so special about the movie that tickets were being sold at three times their usual rate (and I am not even talking about tickets in black)? Why indeed did Katappa kill Bahubali?
Of course, that posed a problem. You see, people who have been coerced into watching Bahubali 2 have to first finish watching Bahubali 1. Thus, you can therefore imagine my quandary…I’d have to endure the first one, before I could contemplate watching the second. And so, I began…my tryst with Mahendra Bahubali.
Well, let me come out and say this straight…I was wrong! The first group was right! In fact, I could not believe that I had actually given this movie a miss…that too deliberately! And I could finally see for myself as to what the fuss was all about!
The fact that we Indians love our mythology is nothing new! Be it B. R. Chopra’s Mahabharata or Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, we have gobbled them up every single time! However, what makes Bahubali a cut out of the league is the sheer visual extravaganza. This magnum opus has done what other movies could not! It took technology and literally let it run wild…through the wilderness, high above the clouds…even as ordinary people sat breathless and gasped at its cinematic marvel.
If you need a parallel, think about James Cameron’s Titanic. What you probably don’t know is that Cameron’s Titanic was not the only movie ever made on the RMS Titanic. There were several in fact…albeit none reached the stature reserved for Cameron and his Crew. What had made the difference in that case was the “scale” too. Cameron had literally created the ‘ship of dreams’ in all its glory and gory tale. It literally left the audiences breathless (no pun intended)!
Bahubali too has managed to accomplish the same. Every frame of the movie is a cinemagoer’s wet dream. Hence, it is little wonder then that a nation that already loves its mythology took to Bahubali with so much enthusiasm and excitement. It was, after all, inevitable! But it leaves the others in dire straits…for once, the audiences have seen what technology can accomplish, I doubt if a Ra-One would ever do it for them! Trust me, when it comes to cinematic brilliance…there are only one kinda people…those who want the very best!
