Before Bahubali: The Conclusion blazes in today, t2 picks 12 reasons that have made Bahubali a winning combination of story and spectacle, and the biggest box-office phenomenon in recent times.

BAHUBALI: THE STORY SO FAR

Blessed with superhuman strength, Shivudu aka Shiva (Prabhas), adopted as an infant by a childless tribal couple, is intrigued by the gigantic waterfall that flows close to where he lives. For years, Shiva has been trying in vain to scale the waterfall to discover what lies on the other side. One day, he discovers a mask at the base of the waterfall and finally manages to scale the waterfall. He then discovers that the mask belongs to a warrior called Avanthika (Tamannaah). He promptly falls in love with her and pursues her, but she says that her duty to her tribe — that’s committed to rescuing their queen Devasena (Anushka Shetty), held captive by King Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) of Mahishmati — comes first.
Shiva promises to help Avanthika and lands up in Mahishmathi, little knowing that Devasena is his own mother. His father Bahubali (also Prabhas) was made king by his aunt Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan), even as her own son Bhallaladeva was vying for the throne. Bahubali was killed, Devasena captured and a dying Sivagami escaped with the infant Shiva, who was then adopted by the tribals. As Shiva vows to avenge his father’s death, Bahubali’s loyal comrade Katappa (Sathyaraj) — loyal to the royal family for decades — comes forward to make the shocking claim that it was he who killed Bahubali!

Sivagami the Shero: Queen Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) escapes the soldiers of her kingdom Mahishmati and runs away with the infant heir to the throne. She is bleeding, an arrow has pierced her back, but she has to keep her promise of keeping the little one alive. Struggling to stay afloat in the raging river, she holds him aloft (left), an iconic image used in the publicity of the film. And that’s how the tribals find the infant the next morning, in Sivagami’s lifeless hands. He grows up to become Shivudu aka Shiva (Prabhas), the son of Bahubali (also played by Prabhas). 

Shiva and the Shivling: A grown-up Shiva has been trying for many years to scale the waterfall aka “jal parbat” and see the world on the other side of it. His adoptive mother, fed up of his daredevilry, takes a vow that she will fill water from the nearby stream and pour it on a Shivling till her son sees some sense. Shiva tries to dissuade his mother, but when she refuses, he hoists the Shivling on his shoulder (left), jumps with it into the river and then places it just below the waterfall… so that it is never denied a steady stream of water. 

The heroic climb: It’s a jaw-dropping moment when Shiva finally manages to scale the waterfall. He leaps off the rock face, fires an arrow towards a tree miles away and manages to harness himself to it. The scene has the clouds meeting the water to create a picture-perfect backdrop to Shiva’s heroics. 

Bull vs brawn: That scene of Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) wrestling a raging bull, brought in from the wild, with his bare hands (left) became a talking point when Bahubali released. The fine print says CGI, but it looks and feels very real. That shot of Bhallaladeva and the bull rushing demolition derby style at each other is enough to give us the goosebumps.

The romance: Just a glimpse of Avanthika (Tamannaah) is enough to make Shiva fall in love with her. Hiding behind a tree, he watches in awe as she engages in a sword fight and mercilessly beheads her enemies. She jumps from a tree, lunges from a rock.... “Baapre”, goes a stunned Shiva. So do we. That doesn’t stop him from pursuing her… but the spunky heroine greets him with dagger and arrow. Their romance is sweet and spicy. Every time she tries to ward him off, he does something to win her over. It culminates in a striptease song… she attacks him, and he strips her one garment at a time with a sword (Zorro? Er, not quite). That sequence looks a little wrong for sure, but there’s something about the Shiva-Avanthika romance that makes you smile. 

Statue! Bhallaladeva’s statue in gold is being erected. As hundreds of slaves and labourers try to instal the statue, they lose their grip on the rope and it hurtles down, threatening to crush them all. And then?! Shiva, appearing from nowhere, catches the rope in the nick of time to stop the statue from crashing down. The cloth, that he’s been wearing as a mask, slips for a bit and an old slave recognises him as “Bahubali”. One by one, the slaves start chanting his name and then the crowd takes over. “Bahubali, Bahubali!” 

Hail, Shiva: We loved that eyeball-grabber of a scene where Shiva rescues his mother Devasena and takes off on a chariot. The action is superlative, flying swords to soaring balls of fire. Cut to the fight between Katappa and Shiva when he escapes with Devasena. As Katappa threatens to overpower him, Shiva springs forward, picks up a sword from the sheath on a horse’s back and in one swift moment, beheads Mahishmati’s crown prince, Bhadra. That shot of Bhadra’s headless body still running with Shiva in pursuit (above) as dark clouds hover above is a lasting image.

The empire: The awe-inspiring kingdom of Mahishmati, gigantic and glorious, is a #win. Director S.S. Rajamouli crafts a mystical land that is part Middle-earth, part Pandora. Walk a mile from the lush green forests and you will be knee-deep in snow; the sun blazes down here, minutes after the sky pours itself out. #Jawdrop

The visual effects: A few hundred crores were spent on the VFX, to come up with eyeball-grabbing scenes and songs that have contributed to the Bahubali phenomenon. Like the waterfall powering down in all its fury. Blue butterflies resting on Avanthika’s back as she dances. That astounding scene of Shiva and Avanthika escaping an avalanche. The moment when Bhallaladeva slices through his enemies with his chariot. And many, many more.

The action: The final war sequence — every moment of which will make you go “OMG” — is almost 30 minutes long. Rajamouli does it Hollywood-style, filming the battle sequences with a sense of urgency, and plonking the viewer right in the middle of the action. That scene in which Bahubali outwits the Kalakeya camp by smothering them with a giant piece of cloth is both a VFX and action #win.

Kiliki! Like the Na’vi language that was created for Avatar, Kiliki — spoken by the Kalakeyas in Bahubali — was created, by lyricist Madhan Karky. A first for Indian cinema, Kiliki had 748 words with set 40 grammar rules. Say aye if you want to hear more Kiliki in Bahubali 2! 

That iconic moment: When Katappa inexplicably drives a sword through Bahubali’s back (left above). Why?! The world is waiting to know! Yes, #KNBKKM! 

BAHUBALI AT THE BOX OFFICE 

• Made on a budget of Rs 180 crore, Bahubali scored Rs 650 crore at the box office
• It’s the fastest Indian film to make Rs 100 crore — in just 35 hours 
• Bahubali’s advance booking at IMAX in Hyderabad accounted for around Rs 1.2 crore 
• Holds the record for the fastest Rs 200 crore collection — Rs 213 crore in just five days

A Bahubali buff? 

Take t2’s quiz! 

1) What is the name of the sword trader from Kabul who comes to meet Katappa?
2) Director S.S. Rajamouli puts in a cameo. What does he play?
3) The waterfall scene was shot over how many days?
4) How long has Devasena been held captive by Bhallaladeva? 

1) Sheikh Aslam Khan 2) Spirit seller 3) 109 4) 25 years

Priyanka Roy