Fusing together the grandeur and drama of Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion into one epic tale would be recorded by cinematic history as an epic blunder. At 3 hours and 45 minutes, Baahubali The Epic is a crashing bore.
It reminds me of joining two weddings together in a cost-cutting move. Here it is the reverse: the two parts of Baahubali have been brought together just to generate more revenues from a Franchise which has already given the producers enough profits to make them rich many times over.
Born out of greed, the fusion version of Baahubali robs it considerably of its aura and mystique. Having watched both the Baahubali films more than once,like I have, you will be wondering repeatedly what the hell you are doing squandering so much valuable time and money on an experience which has nothing new to offer.And it isn’t the least apologetic about it.
The producers claimed to have added footage in Baahubali The Epic. However, I couldn’t detect a single shot that I hadn’t seen before. (I am willing to be corrected on this). Two songs, featuring Tamannah Bhatia, are missing from this energy-draining marathon. Even if you are not her fan you would wonder why her role is reduced to almost nothing. A revenge on the romantics of the world, perhaps?
Baahubali The Epic is an epic subverted into a protracted self-loving narcissistic work of overblown kitsch. It tells us what we already know: the product was magnificent to look at. It revisited our deep-rooted mythological heritage with pride and passion.
We see that pride and passion reloaded, this time creaking groaning with overweight. This over-leaden version was just not needed. Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker was the same length. But you never felt it. This one reminds you of its “epic” qualifications in every heaving breath it takes.
