The weekend is over and the subject of discussion over the last three days has not changed. Baahubali director SS Rajamouli’s spectacular extravaganza has shocked the nation by creating historic all-India box-office collections of over Rs 125 crore on its first day itself.
But the significance of the film is not just about how much money it has made and will make. The success of Baahubali is important because it’s indicative of the kind of value a true pan-India film brings to the table. Add to that the fact that India has finally found its first all-round hero in Baahubali.
Clear disparity
Films may be a driving force in our country but there’s always been a clear disparity between the North and the South. They are two parallel industries — literally. It’s not so much about the sensibilities as much as it’s about acceptance. A film that does well all across India may not necessarily bring the same kind of business in the South. Similarly, a Tamil or Telugu film may do over Rs 100 crore in just one or two states but may not work in the rest of the country. Being a part of the film industry, I’ve always wondered what the quantum of business would be if there was a film that penetrated across both the North and South. The answer is here for all to see — with the Baahubali franchise.
Unrivalled excitement
The business of the franchise seems staggering because it has generated the same kind of excitement — whether it is in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala or Kolkata. When was the last time you witnessed this phenomenon? Never. The coolest part is that this unprecedented success of the franchise is not star-driven. Lead actor Prabhas maybe a star in South (though not in the same league as others) but was a virtual unknown (until the first installment of the film) in the rest of the country.
Our hero
What makes the film and its success unique is the fact that India has finally found its ultimate hero in the character of Baahubali. That’s the unifying factor. Bollywood has attempted several superhero subjects in the past. In fact, the typical Hindi film hero is anyway a superhero even without any powers. But while they have worked in several parts of the country, they definitely haven’t in others.
If they had, we would’ve seen a Baahubali long ago. Baahubali stands for everything we love and were brought up on — mythology, love, revenge, grandeur and of course, the swashbuckling hero. A smarter Bollywood producer could have just taken an Amar Chitra Katha issue for reference and created his own Baahubali long ago.
Film that unified India
The West has its Supermans and Spidermans and they’ve made a killing over these characters through the years. India now finally has its own to compete with them — and that’s Baahubali. The business of this film will change a lot of facets in the way we look at films. Baahubali will go down in history as the highest grossing Indian film of all time. For me, it’s more than that. It’s the film that truly unified India. And it’s the film that gave birth to the true all-India ultimate hero.
Baahubali stands for everything we love and were brought up on — mythology, love, revenge, grandeur and of course, the swashbuckling hero. A smarter Bollywood producer could have just taken an Amar Chitra Katha issue for reference and created his own Baahubali long ago.
The coolest part is that this unprecedented success of Baahubali 2 is not star-driven. Lead actor Prabhas maybe a star in South but was a virtual unknown (until the first installment of the film) in the rest of the country...
The business of this film will change the way we look at films. Baahubali will go down in history as the highest grossing Indian film of all time. But it’s more than that. It’s the film that truly unified India. It’s the film that gave birth to the true all-India ultimate hero! (DNA)
Post A Comment: