Bahubali 2 - The Conclusion

Humongous, gargantuan, gigantic and enormous, everything about this film is massive.  Every frame shines from the golden ornaments, the golden throne and golden palaces. The opulence and magnanimity of flourishing Indian empires will overwhelm your vision just as the spectacular visuals of grand elephants, flying soldiers and the limitless strength all the living beings possess in this film. The royal characters are stronger than all the Greek gods put together wielding all weapons one can imagine. Beautiful strong women are as deadly and beautiful and can put the likes of Andromeda and Aphrodite to shame. A story of succession and heirdom spanning three generations this film is as heavy in its narrative and script as in the sets and visual effects. The 7 feet tall, muscular heroes stopping and fighting huge elephants, dislocating large monuments and clashing in duals vibrated the seats we were sitting on and shook the walls of the cinema hall. The characters are well played out by each of the actors doing complete justice to the aura of the film. Ramya Krishnan’s majestic presence and big eyes kept up with the royal court in her palace, while Anushka Shetty’s beauty is magnetic and mesmerizing. 

The whole experience has the classic south indian nature to it giving a very unique and different experience from Bollywood. On the flip side it’s a heavy dose of all the above. Its like this wedding you go to which is grand and opulent and has a spread of rich, greasy and heavy cuisine. Do we like the food ? OH yes ! But it leaves you feeling lethargic and immovable .I had a heavy feeling in my head for a few hours and a good night’s sleep helped me get over the hangover of the dinosaur that is Bahubali 2. A bit too much and unnecessary exaggeration of everything, I would recommend this film if you can handle overdoses.

BEGUM JAAN

I am not sure if it would be right to say that Begum Jaan is Bollywood’s answer to Game of Thrones, because the brutality against women and savagery of suffering is  so overdone that it surpasses normal film watching. A Facebook friend claimed that the film is not for the faint hearted, well I would say it’s a bit difficult even on the strong hearted. Set in the era of partition of India and Pakistan, Begum Jaan is a story of a woman who defies the government against relocating her residence which falls on the line of partition. Begum Jaan happens to run a brothel in the outskirts of a certain town in the Punjab region. The director has tried to showcase the deep psychological and emotional suffering of prostitutes, which becomes far more savage with the incidence of partition and eviction of Begum Jaan and her brothel. So the deep suffering of the women working as prostitutes and their stature in society is further brutalized by their conviction to fight against authorities in not moving out of their property. The use of language and words typical to an Indian brothel is done in abundance and pomp with Vidya Balan delivering sharp lines in whore lingo, copiously. If that was not enough, there is free use of blood, death, fire and physical violence which will probably kill the faint hearted and leave others deeply disturbed. 

Most educated, dignified men brought up in environments which respect women, will think twice before touching a woman again. We understand brutality and violence against women is severe but this film creates an ugly and unbearable face of the whole issue that is deeply depressing. Vidya Balan’s talent lost its charm due to the narrative and storyline and the vicious one liners. Yes, maybe somewhere there is a certain sense of retribution to the issue of rape and molestation but if the expression and presentation too loose their dignity then it is almost abusive of the cause. Overdone, excessive and mentally penalizing, this film left me giddy and sombre.

Rating:  3/5