Monday, 20 July 2015

A new movie thrill - Bahubali review


This week we planned to watch the big budget telugu movie BahuBali . At first I thought its about the  king called Bahubali. But no ,Its not a historic documentary !

There were many reasons to step into a movie theatre mid-week .
Firstly , the big budget marketing and visuals. Secondly the hype and positive review by friends, peer pressure!

The first impression in the 10 minutes was good . Thank heavens , its not a stereotype telugu movie with a vagabond guy and his unusual heroism , his vengeance and a damsel in distress. Its not mushy or low or cheap in humour.
 Its showcasing a womans resolve and strength.

The movie moves smoothly and tells the story like a chapter book . Its an epic drama , hence history of the characters is key. An abandoned baby , being desperately rescued by a woman who has fire and resolve in her eyes and looks and dresses like a royal . She can’t save herself from the strong currents but will save the baby , she prays for strength and carries on. A small tribe by the riverside see a baby held high from the waters and rush to its rescue . The baby is take from her hand but the mother drowns in a moment pointing up the mountain as a clue.
The lady in the rescuing tribe is childless and hence takes the baby as a gift from the Lord and refuses to return it to whoever is waiting up the mountains.
Destiny unfolds for this baby boy. He has unusual lineage and a strong bond to his ancestors , terrain and flamboyance. His mother struggles to divert his attention from going up the mountain but the boy is resolved .
Then the mysteries he uncovers, once up the mountain . His own history , injustice and spiritual connections change his life forever from a tribal boy to a worshipped God / hero.

What is different in this movie ?
  • ·         Its money well spent , there is art in every frame , meaning in every background, clothes and language
  • ·         Its not about woman being a weaker sex and hence an alpha male comes to the rescue.
  • ·         Questions and breaks meaningless traditions , standing up for whats right. ( moving a shiva idol , not sacrificing a bull for good luck)
  • ·         A mothers love has the power of a Goddess , she can rekindle your dreams and drive you to your destiny , its yet tender and always fair
  • ·         A woman has a strong sense of equality and can do justice and make correct judgment calls.
  • ·         The actress is seen breastfeeding two children in a palace court and yet giving out orders and making laws and fighting off a swordsman. Applause !!
  • ·         Even under the keen eyes of the mother , two children grow up in the same environment and yet one has blackness in his heart and the other is heroic
  • ·         Its Busts the myth of royalty and ranks and superiority
  • ·         Loyalty – this is a virtue almost forgotten or never applauded in movies these days. Here we see a chief soldier and his loyalty to the throne even under an evil king ( like Akrur in Mahabharat)
  • ·         The hero woes and tries to win over a woman soldier , who has an iron exterior and seems almost impenetrable . She’s strong , single-minded, brave  and emotionless. But with ease , he throws her off the feet , mesmerizes and is plain- face simple to her . Uncovers her true inner self and opens her eyes to her own personality shades . He earns her respect and love immediately.


The story is shaded heavily with vengeance , injustice , violence and like any other epic shows how grand and majestic stands victory of good over evil . The only negative aspect through the movie, I feel , is the exaggerated demonstration and sometimes incredulous feats of strength the hero displays , he’s strong we get it…!! The characters are of a plethora of shades – from simple , rustic , juvenile to majestic , brutal , savage , loyal and back stabbing .
The characters and story is well written and has the most exquisite and detailed set to be seen in an Indian movie. It appeals to our Indian-ness , it takes us back to our Indian mythology and its nuances . We all have bits of mythology in our mental fabric and this touches on all the soft parts of an Indian and his strong ties to history.
On the whole , the entire team has to take a bow on this mega attempt and its grand success .



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