Any industry’s benchmark is calculated by that particular industry’s biggest blockbuster. But, Baahubali 2 is one such film that created a benchmark for not just the Telugu film industry, but for all the film industries in India. This benchmark is what all the other movies strive to beat even today. This Rajamouli and Prabhas endeavour has created a brand for itself, that very few movies can match. An industry hit across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi, Baahubali 2 brought put Telugu cinema on the world map.
No other movie in recent times had as dominant run as Baahubali 2. Whether it is about footfalls, repeat audience, brand associations or world-wide recognition, the movie achieved much more than just box-office records. This Rajamouli and Prabhas’ magnum opus has created a separate niche and space for itself in the world of cinema
Box-Office
The box-office success of Baahubali 2 needs no further introduction. This period drama achieved what no other movie did when it came to certain records. It stood as the 1st Rs200 cr, Rs 300 cr share film in Telugu. The buzz generated by Baahubali: The Beginning helped immensely in creating box-office storm and record openings. The opening day collections and consequent weekend collections are still a record even after four years of its release. The movie gave a new meaning to the word pan- India, a phrase that many movie makers are following today.
The film sold an estimated 100 million tickets (all languages combined) during its box office run, the highest estimated footfall for any film in India since Sholay that released in 1975. The second installment of the franchise surpassed the Rs 500 crore mark in the domestic circuit and even became the first Indian film to cross the Rs 1000 crore benchmark worldwide.
Technical Brilliance
Baahubali-2 cannot be fathomed without its breathtaking visuals, impressive VFX, and stellar background score. Sabu Cyril created a beautiful world of Amarendra Baahubali on a grand scale while Senthil Kumar brought the world of Amarendra Baahubali to life by capturing the visuals and transforming the viewers. Keeravani’s versatility was another huge strength of the movie by mixing the tunes that ran the show. The tunes set the correct mood and tempo for emotional scenes while also gave an adrenaline rush in the action episodes.
Another major attraction of the film was its VFX where almost 15 companies worked to bring the world of Rajamouli to life. Baahubali 2 stands tall as one of those few movies which provided a surreal viewer experience in terms of VFX, despite limited (comparatively) budget allotted.
The casting of the movie was another aspect that the makers got it spot on. Every character poured their life into their defined role and elevated the movie. Baahubali 2 is one of those few films where the other characters stood their ground on par with the lead.
The Star Cast
Ramya Krishna’s Sivagami oozed royalty and ferociousness and was the perfect fit for the larger-than-life character. Sathyaraj’s Kattappa was a once-in-a-lifetime character that provided fuel to the story by beautifully linking the two movies.
Even a comparatively minor role of Subbaraju as Kumara Verma proved to be a major arch in the wheel. His performance won his great accolades globally.
However, it was the trio of Prabhas- Rana and Anushka who truly ruled the roost. Prabhas oozed royalty and looked the part and fit the bill better than anybody else. It won’t be an exaggeration to claim that this was a role made for him and no other actor could have carried out the role as convincingly as Prabhas.
Rana’s protagonist game was on another level. A hero’s character can work out best if he has a strong antagonist. Rajamouli is known to craft strong negative characters in his film and Rana brought Bhallaladeva to life and spiced up the whole proceedings. The shrewd and vindictive portrayal coupled with brutal physical strength truly mesmerised the audience.
One of the highlights of the film though was the character of Anushka. Rajamouli has often faced criticism for not featuring strong women characters in his movies. But, with Baahubali, he gave not one but 2 memorable female characters in the form of Anushka and Ramya Krishna. Anushka’s Devasena combined elegance with ferocity to perfection. In a career best performance, Anushka’s Devasena played a central role in starting a clash and fittingly brought an end to the story by driving victory of good over evil.
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