In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new
.....Anton Ego from the movie Ratatouille
So the big question is shall I defend the most discussed movie of our times because it is touted to be the new dimension in Telugu movie. It is now a big sin to say something against Baahubali. It is considered as a monumental phenomenon in Telugu cinema. Some say it's an answer to Hollywood. The director is getting wider applause for "making a movie of such kind". We are there by fortunate to be in the times of S S Rajamouli.
I am taking a risk today and I am not here to defend because there is nothing new.
Why should I call this risk ? This is a blog is read by a very few enthusiasts or friends of mine and no way this write up influences any segment. However this movie has a set of opinions which in a way contradict with one another. Many of my students, friends and close acquaintances felt Baahubali as a huge step forward for our Indian cinema. Some of them felt this as a great milestone which will never be overtaken by any other cinema. Some felt its not that great as it was predicted to be. So by negating their opinion I am sure to get more brickbats than bouquets.
Don't bring the percentages into this, don't be a pro. The minute you do that you kill what's good about this, you kill the sport".--- Driver Hunt in The Movie RUSH
This reviewer opines the same. For the sake of great openings-- for the sake of thumping returns-- and for the sake of ego don't kill cinema. A 250 crore budgeted movie isn't what that raises the bar of any Indian movie. Its finally the content that makes the movie universally acceptable. Sets-- Visual effects --and other graphics shine in the glory of a great story. They fail (even if they are brilliant) when story and screenplay takes a backseat. So when you sell your movie as a movie of the era and your selling techniques if are on par with lessons taught at IIM, then the movie will surely get tremendous openings and returns. All that matters is who is savouring the dish after all the hype and hoopla.
All said and done there were few brilliant scenes in the movie. In a very brilliant sequence where the protagonist during the free fall shoots an arrow with a self made rope towards the tree on the edge of cliff from where the waterfall is originating speaks volumes about the craft of the director.. The opening scene of hand carrying baby in the river in dark was also a good one. Ramya krishna and satyaraj save the film with good screen presence. The protagonist trying to scale the cliffs and the waterfalls were the scenes that stood in my memory after i came out of theatre. I felt these scenes should have been given more time. The director hurried to see to that the hero reaches the top of unconquered mountain in no time. Once the hero reaches the top of the cliff the film starts to falter.
We were introduced to a rebellion group trying to rescue a queen from a reputed kingdom. We were introduced to various characters of the movie in a tasteless fashion. The kingdom which was the centerpiece of the entire story was never presented in that emotional way. Except for the great sets we never see any thing happening racy in the movie. The entire war sequence even though greatly presented is purposeless(pardon me if it has a purpose in second part). Entire second half the movie moves within the four walls of the set to the war ground. The antagonist has nothing to do but put a fiery face throughout. The chained queen waiting for her son picks up pieces of wood( perhaps flew from the nearby places) everyday to fill up a huge tank to annihilate the antagonist. The son moves in --rescues mother---and digs his past. And then the movie suddenly ends with you being invited for the second part in 2016.
The director showed flashes of brilliance in few areas of the movie. There is nothing much in the movie as far as the story is concerned. It's celebration of visual effects, sets and characters.Yes it's all about characters in the movie but nothing. Most of the times I felt a vacuum in the movie. Perhaps it lacked the most important thing, Emotion. The emotional space is seriously lacking in the movie. There's nothing much to feel about the rivalry between the two leads . And the love track between the lead pair is almost forced . The leading lady runs into series of contradictions which were hilarious and ridiculous. As I already said the protagonist and the antagonist has nothing much to do. Even their skill presentation is not that entertaining. The battle scene is wonderful but the purpose of such a long war seems the biggest loophole of the movie. If the purpose is to elevate the protagonist as king then it is a terrible idea to do so. The language developed for the tribe was in one way entertaining because you laugh as you don't understand. How they miss to put up subtitles is really amusing?
A special mention about the back ground music. It's poor. For a movie of such GIGANTIC EPIC
PROPORTIONS the bgm should be of high standards. The bgm never elevates movie and strangely at times it pushes the movie into a slow motion. And the entire opening sequences with a great bgm would have elevated the movie to another level. The bgm surely killed the spectacle. It's like playing flute when you are playing guitar.
Yes .it's a big hit. And every big hit need not be a great movie. And the critics rated it high. Good. But the same critics have written off some great movies.. So what ever the public opinion this author feels this movie was a great marketing lesson. Every move was so tactfully made to create a opinion of viewing a grand spectacle on the silver screen. The public expectations were whip lashed to that extent everyone made it in the wish list to watch the spectacle. From the release of poster to trailer it's a marketing spectacle. There are serious lessons to be learnt from the team.
In the movie sivudu(prabhaas) enters maahismati palace to rescue the queen. He runs through the corridors The antagonist and sivudu come face to face in a tense chase. And I missed that emotional quotient that should have been there. The scene turned out to be that ordinary that no one in the audience cared that much. The much awaited moment lapses into that vacuum created by the director in search of a master piece. Throughout the movie we wait for these two to come to face to face and expect a high voltage scenario. Such minute things are ignored in the awe of making a masterpiece. Instead of creating an emotional space the director created a void and many a things were lost in it. Hope he finds his space exactly in his part 2. He need not worry about the economics as it already created a huge profit margin for it.
Except for the top notch photography, art work, visual effects and flashes of brilliance by the the director BAAHUBALI has nothing new to offer. Greatness bestowed upon us is not a virtue. It is flattery in disguise. Greatness arrives unknowingly and stays there even if we cease to exist.On a given day i prefer mayabazaar to baahubali(any time).
So hope SS Rajamouli returns to what he is good at.....Craft , execution and emotional connect.
