Contrary to popular notions, Bahubali debunked the myth that regional cinema cannot transcend linguistic reach, or nationwide – even international -- box office success. SS Rajamauli’s Telugu multiple-language-release epic broke all scales – of sets, money, language, technology, expectations, as well as returns, proving to be the true ‘Indian’ blockbuster.
For a country which boasts of 780 spoken languages, we have been shockingly contemptuous of regional cinema. In fact, when people refer to Indian cinema, most immediately assume Bollywood. The fact that a thriving regional film industry exists is something barely acknowledged by mainstream trade pundits, who judge a movie solely on the amount of crores it rakes in. No wonder, then, that critics were left with their mouths wide open when SS Rajamauli’s Telugu epic Bãhubali marched right in to their home turf and destroyed existing box office records, debunking the myth that regional cinema can never aspire to transcend its linguistic reach.
When SS Rajamauli, arguably the most successful director in South Indian cinema (he has never had a flop) announced the making of the Bãhubali saga three years ago, everyone had high expectations from the director with the Midas touch. After all,he helmed hit after hit in the form of Student No. 1, Vikramarkudu, Maryadaramanna and the recent 2012 blockbuster Eega. Rajamauli announced that Bahubali’s scale would be so large, it would be released in two parts, Bãhubali - The Beginning (2015) and Bãhubali - The Conclusion (2016). He further stated that the movie would star popular Telugu actor Prabhas and Rana Daggubati. This was no ordinary movie though. ‘Bãhubali’ literally means ‘the one with strong arms’. The roles required both Prabhas and Rana to get beefed up, requiring a strenuous eight month training to build the physique required for the warrior characters. Prabhas ate eight meals in a day and got gym equipment of around Rs.1.5 crores shipped to his home so that he could train for over five hours a day. Both Prabhas and Rana have have put on weight to achieve 100 kgs physiques for this film. Prabhas even postponed his marriage so that he could devote complete attention to the film for three years straight.
It became the first South Indian film to collect Rs.300 crores worldwide, reaching the figure in just nine days. It is still running strong, having crossed Rs.500 crores worldwide in only 24 days
Bahubali was an event even before it started. The producers, placing an unprecedented level of trust in Rajamauli, approved of a budget of Es.250 crores, making Bãhubali not just the most expensive movie in Telugu cinema, but the most expensive Indian movie ever produced. Everything in Bãhubali is on a grand scale. Forty-five feet high sets were constructed for the movie, where Indian cinema has never seen sets over 25 feet height before. Over 15000 sketches and endless man hours have been spent on the movie. This movie was shot with some of the best technicians roped in for the film, notably Sabu Cyril who is a national award winning art director. It took almost one year for pre-production work, which is the highest for any Indian movie to date. The magnificent palaces, impregnable forts, breath-taking water falls were all created exclusively for the movie. The makers used the same special effects team which worked for the Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic World to create colossal battle scenes and seamless graphics. Even the poster made for the movie’s promotion set a Guinness world record for being the world’s largest poster (51,000 square feet).
The spectacle drew its share of naysayers. As the movie’s release date approached, hushed voices echoed that there was no way the film could recover its mammoth Rs.250 crore budget, and would become the biggest disaster in Indian cinematic history. And if history was any indication, they were right. Regional films had never before transcended state boundaries to populist appeal.
Even the poster made for the movie’s promotion set a Guinness world record for being the world’s largest poster (51,000 square feet)
As it turns out, all the critics were proven completely wrong. Bãhubali released on 10th July 2015 on 4000 screens all over India. It became the widest dubbed film ever by screen count. It was made in Telugu, Tamil and dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, English, French, and even Japanese. The movie collected Rs.50 crores on its first day of release and galloped to a Rs.162 crore weekend gross, the third biggest ever in Indian cinema. It became the first South Indian film to collect Rs. 300 crores worldwide, reaching the figure in just nine days. The movie is still running strong, having crossed Rs. 500 crores worldwide in only 24 days. It is only the third Indian film in history to have done so, behind only PK and Dhoom 3. Even with strong competition from the Salman Khan blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Bãhubali’s Hindi dubbed version has become the most successful regional dubbed movie in India, raking in over Rs.105 crores at the box office. That alone makes it the third highest Bollywood grosser of the year, behind Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tanu Weds Manu. Looking at the pace of the movie, the Hindi version may just become the highest grossing Hindi movie by the time its theatrical run is over. Like the title of the movie says, Bãhubali is just the beginning. Its 2016 sequel is poised to become the biggest movie in Indian cinematic history. It is high time we considered cinema on merit alone, instead of looking down on its regional origins. In a lot of ways, Bãhubali has shown that you just cannot keep greatness down. Here’s hoping critics learn a lesson from this. If not, well, there’s always Bãhubali - The Conclusion to look forward to next year!
As a parting note, let us iterate that Bahubali is not a “South Indian” film. It is an Indian film, and should be celebrated as such!
By Neeraj Varty
