MY VIEW: 5 Reasons Why Bahubali is a Monumental Achievement for Indian Cinema

With a record breaking reception of Bahubali within a day of its release, here are 5 things our reader Nalin Rai believes make it a huge achievement for the entire nation. 

Films produced in various South Indian languages have relied much on mythological characters to create an aura around the star, and convert him into a larger than life image – or rather transform him into an idol that has to be worshipped and revered. This defining idiom has, quite a large number of times, meant that there would be an element of verbose, and the make-believe world may not appear that convincing. But Bahubali is going to change the contours of film-making henceforth, especially when the subject matter is mythology.

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Such has been the reception of the film within a day of its release that it could open a new vertical for film making- the vertical of mythologies- which Hollywood has perfected, and India would start doing after Bahubali. The belief is manifested from the reports that in one theatre in Andhra Pradesh, its tickets have been quoted to be selling at Rs. 10,000!

Let’s analyse why Bahubali is indeed a monumental achievement for the country:

1. The most intricate VFX Film made so far:

Source: imgbucket.com

It could have been sheer coincidence that with the government launching a Digital India campaign, the world of movie making has underlined its commitment to adopt the idea by releasing the costliest VFX film ever. And as far as incorporating the element of VFX in a film is concerned, it has by far beaten Krrish and Happy New Year. The director Rajamouli indeed has given the clarion call that India can make mythological movies with a difference.

2. Mythologies Approached Sensitively and Sensibly:

Source: www.baahubalifullmovie.co.in

If one were to view the phenomenal success of Amish Tripathi as the writer who re-created mythologies in a scientific way through the Shiva Trilogy, it would underline the fact that the present generation indeed laps it up when mythology is presented to them in an easy-to-swallow capsule. Bahubali seems to have taken the leaf out of AMISH’s success as a writer practicing mythology, to present to the Indian viewers a film which may appear mythological but has kept the religious underpinnings on a tight leash.

3. Rajamouli Understands The Craft Of Movie Making And Leverages On It:

Source: www.tollywoodfans.in

When he had made his ninth film Eega, which was translated as Makkhi, and went on to rewrite box office success stories, Rajamauli had given a clear message to the fans of cinema that he is well-versed with the manifestations of extreme and has the uncanny ability to make absurdity larger-than-life through imagination and to mesmerize the audience into believing it. With Bahubali, he has taken the element of make-belief one more step forward and has given a strong message to the film-making community that if they do not use technology and weave the story on a large canvas, footfalls would not happen at all. He has really raised the bar and pushed the envelope for the fraternity of film-making.

4. Genuine Display Of Weapons, Attires and Fight Sequences:

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The make-believe world of mythology can become convincing only when the costumes and weaponry on display have an element of novelty that whets the appetite of aficionados; and fight sequences are woven into the narrative in such a manner that the ingenuity of the costumes and the weaponry becomes the USP in tackling the opponent. Bahubali has an ample dose of this triangulation and it manifests in the gusto during the second half of the film.

5. Bahubali Has Become the First Cross Over Film in its genre:

It has become a norm in the world of Hindi cinema that a film that has attained success in the South Indian regional languages would be remade with Hindi film stars. But Bahubali could bulk this trend with its VFX effect and dubbing as it is the grandeur of the spectacle that mesmerizes the audience and not the star value. A dubbed version in Hindi all across the Hindi belt is also doing amazing business. Bahubali has underlined that one need not require a superstar to make a film a success, rather that amount can be spent on VFX to release the film simultaneously all across the country and reap dividends. One caveat however would be that the cinema halls would have to upgrade to provide the audience the real time VFX experience.

– Nalin Rai

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