Counting days for Baahubali!

Quick question. Which was the last good 'king-queen-mantri-senapati-prince-princess. etc movie that you saw? Hercules? Game of Thrones? OK now let me rephrase the question a bit which was the last good movie you saw in this genre in Hindi cinema? There, get the point. Hindi cinema makers have not made a single noteworthy Raja and his mahal movie since maybe 'Raaj Tilak in 1986.

This precisely is the reason why I have been quietly counting days to SS Rajamouli’s 'Baahubali'. Indian movie makers, in their reasonably justified insecurity of following only what is the 'trend' have forgotten this genre. Too busy with either making what I now call the 'Switzerland Romance' or 'multiplex reality cinema' they never saw money in this genre, which is unfortunate and sad for us viewers. It is because the opportunity a maker gets while presenting a period movie in terms of the kings and queens genre is vast. It is even sadder for the Hindi cinema viewer who long for such movies because at least in the south there have been on and off attempts on this. If you are a Hindi cinema darshak you would have to clearly travel back in time to look at movies like the fabulous 'Dharam Veer' or 'Suraj' or the above mentioned 'Raaj Tilak'. 'Dharam Veer' remains my favourite story delivered by that epic entertainment provider called Manmohan Desai, despite the below average technology available then delivered a royal story, which had a huge aura around it. It had a missing prince. Charming royal ladies. Cunning traitors. Victory of good over evil. Long lost love finding each other. Although it is more remembered today by stand up comedians for Dharam Pajis Greek skirt. So maybe with 'Baahubali' a Hindi movie buff will not have to travel back in time.

However, god bless SS Rajamouli probably a director who is probably million miles ahead of his contemporaries in attempting different themes all the time. Be it a 'Magadheera', which dealt with reincarnation or a 'Makkhi', a spirit reborn as a puny insect wreaking havoc on a man responsible for his death. Sure like all our masala directors he does has his 'inspirations' in the story line, posters which are lifted from Hollywood maybe. But you cannot deny that his movies entertain us.

Now he brings kings and queens back to us in classic Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) mode, he himself said this to the media that ACK comics inspired him to make ‘Baahubali’. God bless him for that. The reason this makes it now a double delight is the fact that ACK had clearly defined story of good and bad. Humanity and greed. Mighty heroes and dark villains. In one line Amar Chitra Katha’s royal characters taught us what we should be and what we should not be. Then SS Rajamouli has also decided to simultaneously dub this in Hindi and release, may god bless him again for that too.

'Baahubali' looks like Amar Chitra Katha brought to life and that too on a large canvas. With sleek visuals and a rocking background music. Unless am very wrong here I am quiet hopeful this product will live up to the hype.

In fact if you look across the star cast all of them have a huge screen presence and their acting prowess has long been stamped. There was one more thing which caught my attention on 'Baahubali’s' pre-release hype . After decades a director introduced us not to the stars of his movies but characters so we got introduced to a Bijjaldeva or a Devasena or a Shivudu not Nasser, Anushka or Prabhas. That is director’s belief for you and if you are a movie buff then it does tend to rub on you.

While the director has not really given us much on the plot, which of course is justified and can be the best way to build audience curiosity and box office numbers. You can still make out some of it because Rajamouli dropped the biggest hint that these are inspired from ACK. So it is the good old fight for throne with a good king vs a bad conspirator and call me old school it does not get any more inspiring than that.

Rejoice my countrymen with Rajamouli Indian cinema has its first showman in decades. Brace yourself for a large canvas potboiler. Damn why is 10th July so far?

Rahul Deo Bharadwaj