Prabhas never looked more heroic and magnetic than he did in the dual role of Amarendra and Mahendra Baahubali, applauds Mayur Sanap after watching the nearly four hour-long Baahubali: The Epic.
Some movies lose their charm over time, but the great ones keep you coming back.
You watch them again and again, and each time, you discover something new.
I remember watching Baahubali: The Beginning back in 2015 and being sucked right into its world and myth-making.
Director S S Rajamouli, who was largely a novice voice for the Hindi audience, became an auteur he's know today, and Telugu superstar Prabhas was turned to a nationwide fame, cutting across language barriers. A landmark pan-India moment!
Watching this monumental saga unfold again on the big screen, stitched into one continuous story as Baahubali: The Epic was like stepping into the kingdom of Mahishmati all over again.
And no, the nearly four-hour long runtime surprisingly didn't feel as daunting as I thought it might. Guess all that binge-watching was a good practice for this!
Prabhas appeared in many 'pan-India projects' after the Baahubali films, but during this re-watch, I honestly thought the actor never looked more heroic and magnetic than he did in the dual role of Amarendra and Mahendra Baahubali.
His slow-motion heroic entries. Him commanding a battalion with a single wave of his hand. All these scenes set a benchmark in a mass-hero presentation.
The chants of "“Jai Mahishmati!" eching through the movie hall like an epic war cry!
The coronation scene, with people chanting 'Baahubali', still feels as epic as the first time.
The Kuntala kingdom battle, where Baahubali single-handedly takes down an army with flaming bulls, is still jaw-dropping in its sheer spectacle.
Then there's that unforgettable moment, where Shiva (Mahendra Baahubali) scales the massive waterfall, Jal Parvat, to the tunes of Dheevara.
And when Rajamata Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) stands up for herself, fire in her eyes, it's as powerful as ever. Her booming declaration, "Mera vachan hi hai shashan!" still sends chills down the spine!
Every frame feels highly stylised fantasy with the aesthetics of a comic book, and every emotion heightened by M M Keeravani's thundering score.
The re-watch also made me realise that there's a Baahubali template that echoes for cinematic grandeur across Indian cinema.
You can see shades of Mahishmati's visual majesty in KGF's gritty gold empire, or in Ponniyin Selvan's royal battles and kingdoms.
Even Brahmastra, with its mythological modernity, and in the recent Kantara Chapter 1, where the climactic battle sequence appears to channel Baahubali's epic warfare.
Rajamouli's RRR can also be seen as the spiritual successor to Baahubali.
The DNA is unmistakable.
Two larger-than-life heroes, their fate tested by circumstance, and the drama surrounding it that feels both intimate and monumental in scale.
Even the iconic bridge rescue sequence, where Ram (Ram Charan) and Bheem (Jr NTR) dive into a river to save a child -- it mirrors the operatic action and heroism that Rajamouli perfected in Baahubali's epic war scenes.
It's grand. It's mesmerising. It's Rajamouli's unmistakable craft in building the visceral excitement for a big screen watch!
Just like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge continues to draw audiences decades later at Mumbai's Maratha Mandir, Baahubali
The director's distinctive style and flair are captured perfectly in that signature Rajamouli stamp, which once again drew the loudest cheers and whistles the moment it appeared on screen.
There are very few filmmakers in the country whose name alone can spark that kind of excitement.
Can't wait to see what he pulls off next.
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