Baahubali: The Epic
2025
***½
Director: S. S. Rajamouli
Cast: Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar, Subbaraju, Adivi Sesh, Tanikella Bharani
A strong young man named Shivudu discovers his royal heritage and becomes determined to reclaim his kingdom from a tyrannical ruler, his own uncle. In an extensive flashback, we learn the story of Shivudu's father, Baahubali, and his brother, Bhallaladeva. S. S. Rajamouli's follow-up to the exhilarating RRR is actually a re-edited version of his earlier works, Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017). This epic combines inventive action set pieces, mythology, and family drama, but does not reach the same level as its much-celebrated predecessor. The film relies heavily on obvious-looking CGI and, at 225 minutes, it does feel a bit long.
