Rating: ***1/2

Film: “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion”; Director: S. S. Rajamouli; Cast: Prabhas Raju, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Nasser, Charandeep, Satya Raj, Prabhakar, Rakesh Varre, Rohini, Tanikella Bharani, Teja Kakumanu

Why did Kattapa kill Baahubali? This perennial question that haunted those who have seen “Baahubali: The Beginning” will now be rested. Director S.S. Rajamouli does answer this question and offers much more in “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion”, which is an action-packed revenge drama.

For the uninitiated, Baahubali is the story of an orphan prince Amarendra Baahubali and his son Mahendra Baahubali in the Kingdom of Maheshmati. While the first edition concentrated on Amarendra being unaware of his identity, the Conclusion takes off from where the first part ended and delves deeper into the life of Amarendra Baahubali, the father of Mahendra Baahubali the child who was dramatically saved in the opening shots of the earlier film.

Narrated in a melodramatic manner with surreal action sequences and epic battle scenes along with plenty of dilemmas and betrayals, it is Amarendra’s tale that is interestingly gripping as it answers the question of why Kattapa killed Baahubali.

The final act of The Conclusion, which concentrates on Mahendra’s story seems like a rushed job. And with a run time of 167 minutes, the film eventually seems to drag.

On the performance front, with dramatic lines and over-the-top acts, every actor performs his part earnestly. With an imposing, yet tender personality, Sathyaraj as Kattapa, the loyal warrior, is impressive. Prabhas Raju in a dual role is charming as Amarendra and sincere as Mahendra Baahubali.

‘Baahubali 2′ trailer leaked due to bug in Facebook: Rajamouli
Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion Trailer | Prabhas, Rana Daggubati | SS Rajamouli

Rana Daggubati excels as the vicious Bhalladeva. But it is Nassar as the scheming Bijjala Deva, father of Bhalladeva, who steals the thunder from Rana.

Ramya Krishnan as the Rajmata Sivagami along with Anushka Shetty as Devasena — Amarendra’s wife — offer a stimulating performance. Tamannaah Bhatia as Avantika, Mahendra’s love interest, in a miniscule role has nothing much to offer.

On the technical front, like its prequel, this film too is at par with any big ticket Hollywood caper, in terms of its mounting. Visually the film is colossal and monumentally spectacular. In fact, it is a bit better than the previous edition in terms of VFX effects and sharper edits. The action sequences too are artistically and aesthetically choreographed. The music and background score by MM Kreem add to the cinematic experience.

Unfortunately the dubbing in Hindi is not up to the mark.

Overall, this concluding part of Baahubali will appeal to you, irrespective of whether you have seen The Beginning.

By Troy Ribeiro
IANS

Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli on Thursday said the unfortunate leak of the trailer of his upcoming magnum opus “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” happened due to a “bug in Facebook”.

Talking to the media here at the trailer launch on Thursday, Rajamouli said the trailer leak happened due to a bug in Facebook. He did not elaborate on it any further.

Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion Trailer | Prabhas, Rana Daggubati | SS Rajamouli

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“Piracy is different, and a leak is totally different. We are still trying to find out how the trailer leak happened. It is very irritating for the entire team but we can’t blame anyone without knowing everything about the leak,” Rajamouli said.

The trailer was supposed to be launched at 5 p.m. on Thursday. However, following a leak of the Tamil version of the trailer, the makers were forced to release the trailer of all the versions online.

Talking about the second part of the franchise, he said: “Unlike the first part, which was low on emotions and high on grandeur, the second part will have both factors in equal proportion.”

Rajamouli said he was tense while working on the trailer, but the output is satisfactory.

“When I saw the trailer with Keeravani’s background score, the output was beyond my expectations,” he said.

The film starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj is due for release on April 28.

IANS

Cinematographer K.K. Senthil Kumar on Thursday confirmed that work on the trailer of the highly anticipated Telugu historic drama “Baahubali: The Conclusion” aka “Baahubali 2” is underway and it can be expected soon.
“At Annapurna Studios working on the trailer of ‘Baahubali 2’. Making sure everything is fine with the screen calibration, with CV Rao and Shivakumar,” Senthil Kumar tweeted.

This is Kumar’s seventh collaboration with S.S. Rajamouli. They had previously worked together in “Yamadonga”, “Magadheera” and “Eega”.

Slated for release on April 28, “Baahubali 2” stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj.

–IANS