A big, crowd-pleasing mythic action epic with genuine scale, memorable set pieces, and a strong sense of spectacle. It can be overstuffed and the structure is famously lopsided, but the energy, visual invention, and larger-than-life emotions make it an easy recommendation for viewers who want maximalist entertainment.
The young Shivudu is left as a foundling in a small village by his mother. By the time he’s grown up, it has become apparent that he possesses exceptional gifts. He meets the beautiful warrior princess Avanthika and learns that her queen has been held captive for the last 25 years. Shividu sets off to rescue her, discovering his own origins in the process.
A big, crowd-pleasing mythic action epic with genuine scale, memorable set pieces, and a strong sense of spectacle. It can be overstuffed and the structure is famously lopsided, but the energy, visual invention, and larger-than-life emotions make it an easy recommendation for viewers who want maximalist entertainment.
Best for
fans of epic fantasy and historical spectacle
viewers who enjoy heightened, operatic action
people open to melodrama, myth, and big emotional swings
audiences looking for a gateway into Indian commercial cinema
Skip if
you want tight pacing and a lean plot
you dislike melodrama or exaggerated performances
you prefer grounded realism over spectacle
you are impatient with long runtimes and sequel-bait structure
Overview
Bāhubali: The Beginning is the kind of movie that wants to be remembered in thunderclaps. It builds a world of kingdoms, warriors, betrayals, and impossible feats with a confidence that makes even the most absurd turns feel like part of a grand legend. The action is huge, the imagery is vivid, and the film understands how to turn simple gestures into crowd-pleasing mythmaking.
Worth noting
What makes it work is not subtlety but momentum. It keeps escalating through spectacle, romance, and family drama, then pauses just long enough to land another goosebump moment or visual flourish. The film is also unusually committed to giving its women force and presence, which adds texture to all the pageantry around them.
Bottom line
It is not a perfectly balanced film, and the structure can feel indulgent, especially as it sets up the larger story to come. But if you meet it on its own terms, it is a blast: flamboyant, sincere, and engineered for awe. This is blockbuster cinema as legend, and it earns the scale it reaches for.
Top Letterboxd reviews
James (Schaffrillas) (3.5★) · 1219 likes
What a great movie, I sure hope it doesn't have an unengaging hour-long flashback sequence at the end
sydney (5★) · 743 likes
love everything about this but my favorite part is that all the women are ruthless warriors and baahubali junior is like hello :) i like jumping :) you're pretty :) who's baahubali lol :)
Patrick Willems (3.5★) · 493 likes
Every time someone shouts “Baahubali!!!” I get so stoked
davidehrlich (3.5★) · 380 likes
[disappears down a tollywood / bollywood k-hole forever, to everyone's delight]
Michael Strenski (4★) · 265 likes
So this is what happens when we go chasing waterfalls, instead of sticking to the rivers and the lakes that we’re used to?
2000 · Action, Drama, Adventure · 2h 35m · R · ★ 84% (3.8M) · Where to watch: Hulu, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Kanopy, AMC, Philo
A muscular revenge-and-empire epic that shares the film’s love of heroic scale and arena-ready emotion.
Themes
mythic destiny, royal intrigue, war and rebellion, identity and origin, heroic spectacle, family legacy, female warrior strength, loyalty and betrayal
Topics
epic fantasy, historical action, mythic adventure, melodrama, spectacle, crowd-pleaser, Indian cinema, blockbuster, warrior princess, origin story