Baradwaj Rangan has an interesting theory about how Tamil films set in Malaysia inevitably end up being shitty. In the best case, they turn out - to use a phrase unique to present day popular Tamil film criticism, to be a “one-time watch”. This phrase harks back to a time when fans thronged to theaters multiple times to revel in the major source of entertainment of the pre-cable television era. Unlike many single screen theaters and film studios of that era, the phrase has refused to die down due to the charity of benevolent film viewers, who recommend an otherwise middling film as an “one-time watch”. I have rarely watched a film for a second time in a theatre, even more rarely so on my own accord; the only exception being Rajamouli’s thoroughly entertaining Naan Ee (dubbed from the Telugu “Eega"). I was so impressed that I retweeted Ram Gopal Varma’s tweet, that Rajamouli should tweet his feet for others to retweet. I thought Baahubali: The Beginning was a reasonably good follow up. But when I saw the ticket prices for Baahubali: The Conclusion, a personal theory about how over-priced films inevitably end up being shitty made me wait it out. Like any silly film theory, the outcome in this case is so predictable that they can use it as the story for the next Baahubali sequel (The Vote of Thanks?).
Despite being dubbed Baahubali 2 is better than almost every Tamil movie I have seen this year, but that would be too low of a bar to clear. The visual effects and production design are the best aspects of Baahubali 2. With respect to good Indian films, even those that have breathtaking visuals, almost always fail to get CGI right. In that light, this is an important achievement of this series. After ages, Anushka is back with a meaningful role and gets to play the film’s best written character. For a masala film hero, Prabhas seems to be in a good control of his performance in an affable portrayal of Amarendra Baahubali. And both the duets are interestingly shot. Unfortunately for Baahubali 2, apart from these, there isn’t much going its way.
Baahubali gives you archetypes instead of characters, whose development is arrested right at the moment writers thought of names for these characters. Given the genre, this is not a major issue in itself. But for a sequel whose existing relies on unraveling the motivations behind a cliffhanger, this film is far too predictable and cliched. Most of the directorial choices simply overstate a cliche - in front of an imposing alpha female, there always must be an even more imposing alpha male overshadowing her. A jump cut when Baahubali overtakes Devasena to kill a soldier of the invading force is a grotesque example that stands out. Rarely has film making been deployed with such desperation to promote machismo.
It may be because of the presence of Ramya Krishnan, or her latent super power to provoke mammals (there are numerous references to how Sivagami nursed the infant Baahubali) into attacking her characters, this film in an unintentionally amusing way, reminded me of Padayappa during several scenes. One such scene is the pre-interval scene where Devasena arrives at Maghizhmathi under a cloud of confusion. There is a similar pre-interval scene in Padayappa with a gender reversal. There is only one way in which that scene could have ended, but K. S. Ravikumar uses a simple tracking shot to build a suspense that makes the scene work. In Baahubali, Rajamouli blocks the scene by showing Devasena move, but you are not sure why this comes as a surprise to Sivagami, as the other suitor’s position in the frame is not clearly established. Why waste effort on staging and blocking a scene for suspense, when you can convey suspense through background score and reaction shots of people looking surprised? Or zoom into the surprised faces of Ramya Krishnan or Sathyaraj to manufacture drama? Why even do that when the audience can reasonably predict what’s going to happen?
Another problem with the direction is that it is too content on showcasing a spectacle. After Baahubali and Devasena are forced into an exile, they team up with villagers to establish a small settlement. In a scene that starts with villagers working together to pass a log of wood, camera starts moving upwards, and you expect to see how this action fits into a bigger picture of what they are doing. Instead you see how several extras have been assembled to just give you a hint of the scale of the movie. In Baahubali - The Beginning, I thought the climatic war sequences looked a little bit bloated and not clearly thought out. The same applies in general to set pieces in The Conclusion. These scenes are thought out with an admirably vivid imagination, but it is unlikely that all the disparate elements required to tell an interesting story can fit within a single setup block. So scenes begin vaguely, proceed to do something spectacular, only to end in a way that is downright confusing, after being overwhelmed by the weight of their own scale.
Baahubali 2 is well on its way to become the most financially successful Indian film. The film’s opening credits begin with a presciently written producer’s note that thanks the audience for making it a massive success. The maker’s complete trust in the awesomeness of the spectacle is perhaps the reason why they put so many reaction shots of people reacting in wonder. The over reliance on reaction shots is a perennially frustrating aspect of Baahuabli 2 (I don't remember there being a similar issue with The Beginning). In this world, every action shot has two, three or four fold opposite reaction shots, that it looks like a costly Indian production of SNL’s parody sketch The Californians. That Baahubali has reached new heights for an Indian film is only one part of its success story. It managed to do so while being an unintentional parody of Indian films. That’s the intriguing part.
Despite being dubbed Baahubali 2 is better than almost every Tamil movie I have seen this year, but that would be too low of a bar to clear. The visual effects and production design are the best aspects of Baahubali 2. With respect to good Indian films, even those that have breathtaking visuals, almost always fail to get CGI right. In that light, this is an important achievement of this series. After ages, Anushka is back with a meaningful role and gets to play the film’s best written character. For a masala film hero, Prabhas seems to be in a good control of his performance in an affable portrayal of Amarendra Baahubali. And both the duets are interestingly shot. Unfortunately for Baahubali 2, apart from these, there isn’t much going its way.
Baahubali gives you archetypes instead of characters, whose development is arrested right at the moment writers thought of names for these characters. Given the genre, this is not a major issue in itself. But for a sequel whose existing relies on unraveling the motivations behind a cliffhanger, this film is far too predictable and cliched. Most of the directorial choices simply overstate a cliche - in front of an imposing alpha female, there always must be an even more imposing alpha male overshadowing her. A jump cut when Baahubali overtakes Devasena to kill a soldier of the invading force is a grotesque example that stands out. Rarely has film making been deployed with such desperation to promote machismo.
It may be because of the presence of Ramya Krishnan, or her latent super power to provoke mammals (there are numerous references to how Sivagami nursed the infant Baahubali) into attacking her characters, this film in an unintentionally amusing way, reminded me of Padayappa during several scenes. One such scene is the pre-interval scene where Devasena arrives at Maghizhmathi under a cloud of confusion. There is a similar pre-interval scene in Padayappa with a gender reversal. There is only one way in which that scene could have ended, but K. S. Ravikumar uses a simple tracking shot to build a suspense that makes the scene work. In Baahubali, Rajamouli blocks the scene by showing Devasena move, but you are not sure why this comes as a surprise to Sivagami, as the other suitor’s position in the frame is not clearly established. Why waste effort on staging and blocking a scene for suspense, when you can convey suspense through background score and reaction shots of people looking surprised? Or zoom into the surprised faces of Ramya Krishnan or Sathyaraj to manufacture drama? Why even do that when the audience can reasonably predict what’s going to happen?
Another problem with the direction is that it is too content on showcasing a spectacle. After Baahubali and Devasena are forced into an exile, they team up with villagers to establish a small settlement. In a scene that starts with villagers working together to pass a log of wood, camera starts moving upwards, and you expect to see how this action fits into a bigger picture of what they are doing. Instead you see how several extras have been assembled to just give you a hint of the scale of the movie. In Baahubali - The Beginning, I thought the climatic war sequences looked a little bit bloated and not clearly thought out. The same applies in general to set pieces in The Conclusion. These scenes are thought out with an admirably vivid imagination, but it is unlikely that all the disparate elements required to tell an interesting story can fit within a single setup block. So scenes begin vaguely, proceed to do something spectacular, only to end in a way that is downright confusing, after being overwhelmed by the weight of their own scale.
Baahubali 2 is well on its way to become the most financially successful Indian film. The film’s opening credits begin with a presciently written producer’s note that thanks the audience for making it a massive success. The maker’s complete trust in the awesomeness of the spectacle is perhaps the reason why they put so many reaction shots of people reacting in wonder. The over reliance on reaction shots is a perennially frustrating aspect of Baahuabli 2 (I don't remember there being a similar issue with The Beginning). In this world, every action shot has two, three or four fold opposite reaction shots, that it looks like a costly Indian production of SNL’s parody sketch The Californians. That Baahubali has reached new heights for an Indian film is only one part of its success story. It managed to do so while being an unintentional parody of Indian films. That’s the intriguing part.
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