CASE IN COURT 5.1.26
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Ikkis flops at the box office
CASE IS DONE 6.11
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SRK explains the actual meaning of most misunderstood word "Jihad"
Started Rewatching Jodha Akbar and addicted once again.Hoping for S2
Nache Nache Video Song - The Rajasaab
Baahubali - The Conclusion is a game changer. Years from now, filmmakers who dream big but shy away from taking that leap of faith will probably draw strength from the work of this team. With part one, this team broke the barriers of what otherwise gets boxed into a regional film' and took it to a pan-Indian audience, ending with a cliff hanger and the raging question why Kattappa killed Baahubali' #wkkb.
There were awe-inspiring sequences and characters about whom we wanted to know more. There were also niggles, like the track between Mahendra Baahubali (Prabhas) and the guerilla warrior Avantika (Tamannaah). With The Conclusion, the team makes The Beginning seem like child's play. They raise the bar to give us a visually breathtaking film that also makes up for a few aspects that were found wanting in part one.
The Rajamouli that ardent Telugu moviegoers know is an excellent storyteller. Here, he gives us well-defined back-stories (story by Vijayendra Prasad) with the necessary emotional heft. The magnificent Mahishmati is celebrating its victory over the Kalakeyas, and its king-to be, Amarendra Baahubali (Prabhas). Beneath the celebratory layer, something sinister is brewing. The larger than life palace appears eerie, as though it awaits the impending fall from grace.
Amarendra, oblivious to the viciousness of Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati), gives his all to be the dutiful foster son and the prospective king his people would be proud of. The film is a whole lot more than #wkkb. It's a conflict of characters, caught in the whirl of palace politicking and deceit. The face-offs take place between Mahendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva, between the loyal Kattappa (Sathyaraj) and the conniving Bijjaladeva (Nasser) and more interestingly, between Sivagami (Ramya Krishna) and Devasena (Anushka Shetty).
As each of these characters reveal to what extent they can go for their convictions, the actors' real names seem like a blur. You'd rather give in to their screen names and parts. Prabhas, Anushka and Rana get their career best roles. As the two Baahubalis, Prabhas is still lifting boulders, trees and whatever mighty is in front of him to protect people who matter. He is regal and assured as Amarendra and thirsty for revenge as Mahendra, learning war tactics along the way. Rana is on a beast mode as the dark, ominous Bhallaladeva.
It's Anushka who's a revelation. Not even in Rudhramadevi did she shine as she does as Devasena. Thrown into an unenviable situation, she stands her ground and questions the basic tenets of the kingdom. Her portions with Sivagami (Ramya Krishna, once again aces the part) drive a chunk of the drama.
Broadly speaking, Baahubali - The Conclusion is a tale of good vs. evil. Ever since we saw Devasena in part one gathering twigs for a funeral pyre we knew what's in store. But within that framework are sequences that warrant a suspension of disbelief and an intriguing match of wits. The film has several of those, particularly the events that unfold during the crowning of Mahishmati's king. A hat tip to the team that made it possible, from cinematographer Senthil Kumar to production department captained by Sabu Cyril and the visual effects team.
The downer in this fantastically-mounted spectacle is the climactic portion " let's just say Marvel superheroes would be put to shame.
For the most part, The Conclusion doesn't let us take our eyes off the screen. It's designed to be a cinematic celebration, one that deserves to be watched on the largest screen possible.
Arguably, Baahubali: The Conclusion is the biggest film event this year. When Baahubali: The Beginning released in 2015, it had little expectations among the audience. But it became a terrific hit is a different issue. The success of the first part mainly lies in the climax hook, that paved the way for the sequel. Barring its story, Rajamouli's characters had evoked certain emotions on the audience.
For the same, Baahubali 1 went to become the highest grossing film that year and netted Rs 650 crore. As the world awaits the release of Baahubali: The Conclusion, let's delve deeper into its box-office figures.
Baahubali 2 is released across in a massive 6,500 screens in India. Cumulatively, the epic sequel is releasing in over 9000 screens worldwide, which is huge for an Indian film. Earlier this week, the film received fantastic response in advance booking sales in India and most of the tickets were sold out for the first weekend.
To be precise, ticket booking site BookMyShow announced that it has already sold over a million tickets in just over 24 hours for Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Baahubali 2 witnessed unprecedented craze down South. In terms of advance sales revenue, the SS Rajamouli's film has surpassed the Bollywood blockbuster Dangal, which had Aamir Khan in the lead.
Speaking about the film, Ashish Saksena, COO of BookMyShow, said, "BookMyShow is experiencing an unprecedented advance booking for Baahubali 2. We have already sold over 1 million tickets across languages, even when the bookings have been live for just over a day. Though Baahubali 2 is largely perceived to be loved by South Indian audience, the response from Hindi speaking markets has been highly encouraging as well. Once all the cinemas in South come out with their schedules for the film, we expect the online ticket sales for Baahubali 2 to surge at an increasingly fast pace."
According to trade pundits, Baahubali 2 is set to have a phenomenal opening at the box office and the numbers are expected somewhere between Rs 90-100 crore on the first day itself.
Recently, the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state government have given special permission to screen Baahubali 2. In AP, the film will have six shows a day, while Telangana will have five shows. Produced by Arka Mediaworks, the sequel is made on a budget of Rs 250 crore and has already fetched enough moolah for the producers even before the release. Reports also suggest that Baahubali 2 raked in Rs 500 crore through its satellite and distribution rights. Collectively put together all the factors, Baahubali 2 is expected to shatter box-office records and is very likely to emerge as the first Indian film to earn Rs 1000 crore.
Directed by SS Rajamouli, Baahubali 2 takes the story forward from where Baahubali: The Beginning ended. Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishnan star in pivotal roles in this instalment of Baahubali too.
Baahubali 2' offers pounding action, soap opera storytelling and some worrying ideas about valour
At several points during Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, the audience I was watching it with whooped and whistled. Mostly it was at something Prabhas did, like throwing a tree at charging soldiers or jumping from one flaming, stampeding bull to another. At times, I felt a cheer rising within me as well, but it would remain stifled, often as a result of an over-ambitious visual effect or an especially florid bit of Hindi dubbing, but also because it's difficult to applaud aspects of a film while disagreeing with the whole.
Some films will set your pulse racing even as they espouse the exact opposite of your worldview; others you'll want to like but not be able to bring yourself to. Baahubali 2 is undoubtedly a spectacular action film. It's also a tradition-bound, caste-conscious macho militarist fantasy.
The first Baahubali film ended with Kattappa (Sathyaraj) explaining to Shiva (Prabhas)"actually Mahendra Baahubali, rightful heir to the kingdom of Mahishmati"why he killed his father, Amarendra Baahubali (also Prabhas), the former king. His explanation took the form of an extended flashback, which continues in the sequel as we're beaten over the head with scene after scene designed to show how virtuous and beloved of his people Amarendra was. We're also reintroduced to Devasena (Anushka Shetty), the princess of a small state, who becomes Amarendra's wife. Shetty thus plays wife and mother to Prabhas in the same film. If they ever have another film in the series, it might be "Baahubali: Freudian Issues".
Because we already know that Kattappa is going to kill Amarendra, everything is necessarily a build-up to this moment. It's a long, long time coming"and a good indicator of how invested you are in the mythology of the Baahubali universe is to note if the wait starts to weigh on you. Not that there are many dull moments: in one 30-minute stretch, for instance, writer-director S.S. Rajamouli follows a sneak attack in the forest with low comedy, a boar hunt, more comedy (sold with hammy exuberance by Subbaraju, playing an inept warrior), a song sequence and a bona-fide battle. It feels like there's always an action scene, or a song, or a set-piece happening. It's as if the makers have determined that if anyone is going to get bored, they'll have to do it in spite of the narrative, not because of it.
Baahubali isn't the kind of film that waits for its audience; it comes to you. Whatever historical time period this story is taking place in, it isn't the Age of Nuance. A follower of the evil king, Bhallala Deva (Rana Daggubati), can't just be a schemer, he has to be a pervert too; Amarendra can't just be a regular benevolent ruler, he has to give up his dinner for poor children and be fed by their teary mothers. The plot is reasonably well worked out, but character motivations are often sketchy"including, crucially, Katappa's. Even by epic action film standards, the performances are broad. In the rare moments when there's more talk than action, the film assumes the hyperbolic qualities of a tele-series; the scenes featuring Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan, overdoing the eye-popping a bit) and Devasena, in particular, would make for a great Ekta Kapoor-style mythological soap (Kyunki Rajmata Bhi Kabhi Saans Thi?)
Still, what makes Rajamouli's films unique is that, in the midst of the most incredible silliness, there'll suddenly arrive a breath-taking image or a fluid, heart-pounding shot. I was laughing when, during a battle scene, Mahendra catapults himself and a few others onto a terrace with the help of a handy tree. But once he lands, the scene transforms into something ridiculously attractive"a continuous sideways shot of him slashing his way through enemy ranks, blood flying in theatrical arcs.
For a film that's highly invested in ritual and tradition, it is perhaps revealing that when Baahubali 2 wants to make a point about valour, it reaches for the grammar of the caste system. Time and again we're told what it means to be Kshatriya; how, when it's required, a true Kshatriya will reveal their warrior nature. This sort of talk is worrying"whether or not Rajamouli has included it unthinkingly. To mention one caste is to refer to the entire system; to extol the virtues of one is to deny the same qualities in the others.
For those who think questions of caste and sexism and racism shouldn't be directed at big-budget entertainers, I can only say that I believe there couldn't be anything more important. Hollywood is making further inroads into the Indian film market every year. If Baahubali 2 is a hit, we might be seeing many more "event films" of its kind in the near future. Whether we ask much of these films is up to us.
In the 22 months since "Baahubali: The Beginning" hit theatres, the story might have faded from our minds but the spectacle that unfolded on screen remains seared in the memory of viewers. S. S. Rajamouli makes sure that when we return to his imaginary world, we never stop gasping till the end credits roll.
In "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion", marauding elephants, an invincible but kind-hearted king and his unconditional devotion to his mother all come together in the first five minutes, perfectly setting the stage for the next three hours of the epic.
While Rajamouli does apply the brakes on this juggernaut from time to time, the film has enough speed to propel it towards a high-octane climax, where our hero Mahendra Baahubali (Prabhas) meets his nemesis Bhallaladeva, the evil king who is responsible for his father's death.
"Baahubali 2" takes off where we last left it. Katappa, trusted lieutenant of the Mahishmati kingdom and the subject of a thousand memes, tells the story of Amarendra Baahubali to his son, Mahendra.
Prince Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) is seized with jealousy because his mother, Queen Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) would rather make his cousin Amarendra her successor. To make matters worse, the princess Bhallaladeva wants as his wife would rather marry Amarendra.
But when Amarendra and princess Devasena (Anushka Shetty) announce their intention to marry, the queen, egged on by her son and husband Bijjaladeva (Nassar), considers the union an act of defiance and turns her against her choice for king.
Rajamouli takes a while to actually get to the conflict, spending almost half of the movie's runtime setting up the romance between the outspoken warrior princess and the smitten prince. But the action never stops. Amarendra eyes Devasena over hunting trips and while they demolish entire armies together. She falls for him after he saves her kingdom from an attack.
Rajamouli and writer K. V. Vijayendra Prasad (the director's father) keep the story linear and simple, letting the spectacle of rampaging armies, massive kingdoms and fight sequences between the two leading men do the talking.
The VFX, a huge draw in a film like this, might not be up to Hollywood standards, but Rajamouli and his team manage to make this world look imposing and impressive.
In fact, if it wasn't for the special effects, the film would probably go down as campy and often over-the-top where the actors arch their eyebrows at every opportunity and warriors use palm trees as weapons of war.
It is because Rajamouli never lets up in his attempt to deliver a spectacle that has to be enjoyed in theatres that "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion" is a worthy conclusion to this epic series. It may not up the ante from the last film, but it doesn't let up on the pace either. For an Indian film, that is no mean feat.
Cast : Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar, a few seconds of Tamannaah Bhatia
Director
S.S. Rajamouli
(Note: This is a review of the Hindi dubbed version of the Telugu film Baahubali: The Conclusion.)
Fans of the Baahubali franchise have been discussing the hashtag #WKKB on the social media for a while now.
If you have not guessed yet, that stands for "Why Kattappa Killed Baahubali", a reference to the teaser in the closing scene of Baahubali: The Beginning in 2015. You will not find spoilers on the #WKKB front in this review. Hold on to your seats though for the answer to a far more pressing question: #DRTOHS.
The main characters in Baahubali 2 : The Conclusion.
In the first film, the tribal boy Shivudu (Prabhas) discovered that he is, in fact, Mahendra Baahubali, son of the late great Amarendra Baahubali (also Prabhas) who was robbed of the throne of Mahishmati kingdom by the machinations of his cruel cousin Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) and uncle Bijjaladeva (Nassar). In Baahubali: The Conclusion, Mahendra hears the story of why and how that happened before setting off to avenge the deaths of his father and foster grandmother Sivagami (Ramya Krishna) and to free his mother Devasena (Anushka Shetty) from imprisonment in Mahishmati.
As with the opening film, this one too is an Amar Chitra Katha-style blend of mythological references and palace intrigue laid out on a vast canvas of visual grandeur.
The proportion of the ingredients has been changed though, with myth and socially regressive themes being scaled down, family politics being scaled up, and the decibel levels being raised by several notches.
The novelty of seeing an Indian film so laden with heavy special effects at such a scale from start to finish has worn off in the two years since Baahubali 1 was released, and it is hard now to forgive this one for Mahishmati's plastic faade and those painfully obvious CGI beasts.
Somehow, nothing here seems to match up to that waterfall in Part 1. Still, when the going is good, director S.S. Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Conclusion is pleasing to the eye, in particular with its costumes, lavish interiors and innovative stunts.
A film of this nature obviously requires a suspension of disbelief in that last department. And frankly, if we are willing to swallow the invincibility of the likes of Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis and the various Bonds down the decades, then there is no reason why we should not buy that scene in which Amarendra mounts an elephant by walking up its trunk with the animal's assistance and - my favourite of the lot - that war-time gimmick involving palm trees, shields and Newtonian physics towards the end.
Prabhas in a poster for Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
Those stunts, M.M. Kreem's background score and the use of his songs to up the tempo of the narrative are what keep Baahubali: The Conclusion watchable even when the ridiculous over-acting becomes hard to take. Daggubati and Shetty - both gorgeous, both equally charismatic - keep themselves relatively in check, which is admirable considering that over-statement seems to be the demand of Rajamouli's storytelling in this cinematic diptych. And Prabhas' pretty face somewhat compensates for all that self-indulgent posing about he does, most notably while Devasena sings a song about Lord Krishna in a scene that unwittingly betrays her man's Oedipus complex.
The rest of the cast is laughable, with each rivalling the other for the year's Worst Acting Awards. There is the usually wonderful Nassar who hams here to such an extent that he makes Sohrab Modi seem under-stated in comparison. The extras in every single scene - soldiers, courtiers and subjects - seem to be competing with the memorably howlarious bit-part players of the black-and-white era. And Subba Raju playing Devasena's beau Kumara Varma is so bad, he should be declared a threat to society.
The queen of the film's hamsters though (if such a word does not exist in the acting lexicon, then it should) is Krishna whose eyes remain fixed in a bulbous stare through the nearly three hours of this film's running time.
For all its seeming innocuousness, Baahubali: The Beginning was a horribly narrow-minded film that rolled out a range of stereotypes couched in its good-looking frames.
The black-denotes-evil clich was exacerbated by its white-is-glamorous conviction. Disability coincidentally found its way only on to evil people. And Sivagami's power paled into insignificance in the face of Shivudu's sexual violation and ultimate subjugation of the warrior Avanthika played by Tamannaah Bhatia.
In that respect, Baahubali: The Conclusion is a step up. Devasena remains strong and active from start to finish, and is at no point reduced to being Shivudu or Amarendra's sidekick. She is a partner, not a prop. Still, the marginalisation of Avanthika in this film is almost tragic. In Part 1 she was a feisty woman whose mission was taken over by Shivudu once he makes' her fall in love with him and discover her inner femininity.
In Part 2, she is an absolute nobody with nothing to say and just a few seconds of screen time in mass scenes. In that context, giving Bhatia fourth billing in the closing credits (after the two leading men and Shetty, but before Krishna) comes across as condescension, not an acknowledgement of her star status.
This then is the conclusion of this review: Baahubali: The Conclusion is a cocktail of fun stunts, pretty faces, grand settings, terrible acting, conflicted attitudes and closeted conservatism. (Aside: The Hindi dubbing is impressive. A bow here to the choice of voices and to Manoj Muntashir, dialogue writer and lyricist for this version.)
As is always the case, each viewer's response to the film depends on her/his priorities. My priority, I admit, is not #WKKB but #DRTOHS: does Rana take off his shirt (in the film, as he has for the posters)? Answer: yes he does. For good measure, so does Prabhas.
Both men rip off their upperwear in an extended scene of hand-to-hand combat, to reveal perfectly sculpted, stunningly muscular torsos in what has now become commercial Indian cinema's most-used formula across all states.
In the way it is told, #WKKB is not as dramatic a revelation as expected. #DRTOHS, on the other hand, is absolute paisa vasoolFriday, April 28, 2017 | 4:36:30 PM IST (+05:30 GMT)
0 Comments | By Omkar D Sawant
The most important reason to watch the movie "Why Kattapa killed Baahubali!" has finally been answered!
The movie starts with animated recap of what happened in the first film. The background score used will surely excite you and increases your curiosity level.
The plot of the story shows how the rivalry between two cousins, Amarendra Baahubali (Prabhas) and Bhallaldeva (Rana Daggubati) began. It also reflects the love story of how the former fell in love with the beautiful princess, Devasena (Anushka Shetty).
The extravagant kingdom of Mahishmati is a visual treat for your eyes.The fight scenes that had less VFX, are splendid.
You will feel the people's love for 'Baahubali' during the coronation ceremony, where the 'praja' starts roaring and chanting the name of their favourite leader.
Prabhas has nailed it as Amarendra Baahubali. The anthem of the 'Kingdom', as well as the background music used from start to end, will give you goosebumps!
Review:
The film is about a revenge story and victory of good over evil. The best performers of the movie are Prabhas as Amarendra Baahubali, Ramya Krishnan as 'Rajmata Sivgami' and Rana Dagubatti as Bhallaldeva! Sathyaraj as Kattapa did his best if we consider his emotional, intense and fight scenes, however, the comic role didn't suit him. 'Overacting' was the first reaction to it.
The VFX were good, but you were able to make out what is animated and what is real. Also, overuse of VFX kind of ruined the film a bit. Then, of course, keep your minds aside and watch things as it is fiction-drama!
The heroic story of the former Baahubali is what you will remember while you leave the theatres. Anushka Shetty's performance as well as her appearance was worth watching! She pulled her character very well.
The Hindi dubbing is not upto the mark, or you can say, it does not satisfy your heart and mind.
The story has a very little part about how Mahendra Baahubali took his revenge and honestly, it was not as exciting as the rest of the film. Towards the end, VFX take over the charge and make you say, 'whaaat?'
You should go and watch the movie, to know what happened at the end!
Reasons to watch the film:
* The glorifying portrayal of Amarendra Baahubali and his love story!
* The performance of Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj!
* The most important reason, why Kattapa killed Baahubali.
* It is, S. S. Rajamouli's magnum opus!
Rating: ***/5 (Three out of five stars)
https://www.indiaforums.com/article/baahubali-the-epic-review-rajamouli-makes-a-3-hour-45-minute-rewatch-feel-like-pure-cinema-gold_228708...
https://x.com/rajasen/status/1998386440435327223?s=46 t=vevCm3I0SGjUvmq-Bjkadg
Dhurandhar reviews and box office member reviews- page 12 of this thread oye bollywood page 63- catch me if you can Page 86 3 member reviews...
https://x.com/UmairSandu/status/1992599991303676363?t=4p5_r7YwrbYRTzjoFIbxzw s=19
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