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Story
Trouble starts brewing once Queen Mother Sivagami appoints Amrendra Bahubali as the future king. Amarendra goes for a tour in kingdom incognito to experience happenings in firsthand. He falls in love with Devasena, the princess of Kunthala kingdom. He joins her in guise and love blossoms. Bhallala Deva who is looking for the right opportunity to get the throne devices a plan that puts Amarendra in a difficult situation. Rest of the story is all about the internal politics of palace and how Mahendra Bahubali completes the unfinished business.
Artists Performance
Prabhas: Prabhas has enlivened the characters of Amarendra and Mahendra with full conviction. His rugged voice has suited the royal character very well. And his histrionics in Amarendra Bahubali in crucial sequences (not mentioning those scenes as it reveals story) are extraordinary. Amarendra Bahubali is a pure hearted man who always sides with what is right. Prabhas make sure that he embodies that purity trait while portraying Amarendra character. There is a clear variation in his acting for both characters. He has also excelled in humor in a few scenes involving Sathyaraj and Subbaraju.
Others: Rana Daggubati delivers another knockout performance with his physical appearance and commanding voice. Anushka has a bigger and multidimensional role in part 2. She is gorgeous as warrior princess. She has shown ferocity in fights, delicateness in songs like ‘Kanna Nidurinchara’ and rebelliousness while facing Sivagami. Ramya Krishna has extended what she has done in part one with same fabulousness as Sivagami. Sathyaraj is exceptional as Kattappa, a loyal servant of king. Subbaraju is the new addition in part two. He played the role of a coward who transforms into a warrior. There is humor attached to his character. Nassar has played a character that looks menacing at times and humorous in other scenes. Tamanna has a little role to play in this film and comes towards climax.
Technical departments
Story - screenplay - direction: Part 2 focuses more on the back stories of Amarendra Bahubali, Devasena, Sivagami and Bhallala Deva. Each of these characters are etched with completeness. Amarendra Bahubali is a man of purity and does what his conscience and dharma says. Devasena is a righteous woman who doesn’t mind rebelling against the supreme power if she thinks she is right. Sivagami is a complex woman who appears ambiguous at times, but mostly goes by the law. Bhallala Deva is a menacing and devious personality who does anything for power. With such contrasting characters, the conflict is going to be interesting. The conflict between Sivagami and Devasena is written beautifully. More than half of the first half is devoted to the romance between Amarendra and Devasena which was etched beautifully in a lighter vein. The ambiguous nature of Sivagami in second half slows down the pace of it, but it’s given a beautiful ending with a poetic justice. The way Amarendra Bahubali introduced is extraordinary. Devasena’s introduction is also praiseworthy. The interval block (from the time Amarendra utters the dialogue Amarendra Bahubali anu nenu… till interval card) is mindblowing. Because of the righteousness of the Amarendra character in the second half, one might miss heroic moments. Second half is dealt with story most of the time. The dialogue Amarendra utters after being stabbed makes you realise what a great person he is. However, the climax of the movie appears a bit extended. SS Rajamouli has bravely stuck to the story and made sure that content takes over film in the second half.
Other departments: Cinematography by Senthil Kumar is fabulous. Background music and re-recording by MM Keeravani is unparalleled and multiplied the impact in a lot of key scenes. Four songs come in first half and one song comes in second half. A couple of songs from the first half are repeated. I loved the creativity and aesthetics in Hamsa Nava song. Kanna Nidurinchara is colorful and it shows the blossoming love between the lead pair. Dialogues are good. Production design by Sabu Cyril is excellent. Costumes design by Rama Rajamouli and Prasanthi is elegant. Editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao is good. But, runtime appears lengthy. Action sequences are excellently choreographed. VFX by Makuta is very good, but not as fine as part 1. Production values by Arka Mediaworks (Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni) banner are spectacular.
Analysis: First half of the film is excellent with a superb interval block. Second half is good with story and internal political drama taking precedence. Plus points of the film are Rajamouli’s classy vision and conceiving of scenes, first half, interval episode, background music, characterizations and actors. On the flipside, pace slows down in second half and climax appear extended. Despite a couple of shortcomings, Baahubali: The Conclusion gives a perfect ending to the Baahubali: The Beginning. You must watch it in the best theater!
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