Review of Bāhubali: The Beginning (2015) by Pur__0_0__ — 28 Mar 2021

I learnt about this movie through memes and social media blogs. I didn't have a TV connection back then and I wasn't much into pop culture, so I didn't really know what this movie was about. I just saw that this movie had a lot of special effects and it used animators, so obviously it had to be good. I practically begged my parents to let me see this movie in the theatres. I hadn't been to the theatres for the last 7 years, and they finally gave me the permission to see this one. And I wasn't disappointed.

This is the kind of movie that can be enjoyed to its fullest only in the theatres. Everything about it was superb - the CGI (considering the technology and experience of CGI in India is not very advanced), the acting, the music, the colour palette, the locations, the overall tone, everything is perfect. Watching Shiva climb the waterfalls, the battle scenes, Shiva alone pulling Bhallaldeva's statue, all of this looked great when being watched on a giant screen.

The story finally ended on a cliffhanger for the second part, which is another movie for which I requested my parents to let me see, but that's for the other review. But it was an actual good cliffhanger, unlike the usual sequel baiters that we normally see in high budget action or superhero movies, or the money squeezing that happens when one movie becomes successful. This one actually meant it.

This movie basically introduced me to South Indian cinema. Until then I was thinking all South Indian movies are the same, with unrealistic actions and cringy humour. But this one was different. Just by looking at it you know this one really means business. I hope in future we will get to see more such Indian movies that make us proud that we have a film industry that prioritises quality over quantity.