The cast and crew of 'Baahubali', SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus, was in London for the last leg of promotions for 'Baahubali - The Conclusion'. As part of the UK India Year of Culture, the BFI has embarked on a celebration of Indian film throughout the rest of 2017, a series under which 'Baahubali- The Conclusion' was selected to be screened on the 2nd of May at BFI Southbank. Before the screening, Director SS Rajamouli, shared his vision and expectations from the film in a one-on-one with Asian Voice.
Amongst all the praise, for Rajamouli, the one thing that would draw him to the theatre as an audience is the strength of his characters and the powerful storyline of the film, a taste of which was given by the first film. As he says, “'Baahubali' is an international film. While it is rooted in ancient India, it is not completely Indianin terms of architecture, music, and so on. It has a sense of aspiration and represents modern India to a great extent, especially with its female characters. I feel this makes it quite relevant to the BFI India on Film series.”
Rajamouli’s myriad inspirations ranged from the Amar Chitra Katha comics, folklore tales, ancient epics, to films like 'Ben Hur', 'Ten Commandments', and 'Braveheart'. As he puts it, “These have been inside my mind for the longest time, and this is why, there was not even a single day during the last 4-5 years of filming that I did not enjoy nurturing the film’s characters.” His father, K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, narrated 'Baahubali' to him when Rajamouli was a child, and the characters were extremely gripping. He says, “I wanted the audience to feel the same intense emotions I felt when I envisioned these characters coming to life.”
'Baahubali – The Conclusion', just like its predecessor, is a visual feast. If you thought the first film was grand, this one ups the scale in terms of grandeur, heroism, music, and drama. Actor Prabhas, who did not sign any other film for four years just to work on this project, is endearing and fierce at the same time, while Ramya Krishnan as Sivagami is vulnerable and mighty. You can almost feel the plight of all the characters who fight with strong convictions of righteousness, except the brilliant Rana Dagubatti as Bhallaladeva, who fights and manipulates for what he thinks is his right. 'Baahubali – The Conclusion' must not be missed being watched on cinema screen of the largest dimensions.
