# Baahubali: The Beginning Review: The Waterfall and the War > Baahubali: The Beginning launches S. S. Rajamouli's Telugu fantasy epic with jaw-dropping set pieces, a dated romance and a story that stops at the halfway mark. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/baahubali-the-beginning-2015-review/ Published: 2026-07-23 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4/5 ## Verdict Yes, with reservations. It is a thrilling first half of a larger epic, best for spectacle lovers who can forgive a clumsy romance and plan to watch Part 2 next. ## Is Baahubali: The Beginning worth watching? **Yes. Baahubali: The Beginning is a bold, often breathtaking fantasy epic that announced a new scale for Indian popular cinema, even if it is only half a story.** S. S. Rajamouli builds a mythic kingdom with real conviction and delivers action sequences that still impress years later. The reservations are a romance that has aged poorly and a structure that ends mid-saga, so it works best as the first part of a two-film evening rather than a complete experience. ## What is Baahubali: The Beginning about? [Baahubali: The Beginning](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/baahubali-the-beginning-2015/) opens with a woman carrying an infant through a raging river, an image that sets the film's mythic tone. The baby grows up as Shivudu ([Prabhas](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/asia/india/prabhas/)) in a village at the foot of an enormous waterfall, restless and unusually strong, convinced there is something beyond the cliffs above him. When he finally climbs them, he meets Avanthika (Tamannaah Bhatia), a warrior in a rebel band sworn to free a queen held prisoner for 25 years by the tyrant of Mahishmati, Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati). Shivudu takes up her mission and, along the way, begins to learn who he really is. The cast also includes Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar and Anushka Shetty, several of whom matter more to the long flashback that fills the film's second half. Rajamouli made the film in Telugu alongside a Tamil version, and it runs 159 minutes. Its success reshaped expectations for Indian blockbusters, and it won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. ## A world built on vertical ambition Rajamouli designs the film around height and weight. Shivudu's repeated attempts to scale the waterfall are the heart of the first act, staged as a kind of devotional obsession, and the images of him climbing through mist toward an unknown kingdom have a storybook grandeur few [action films](https://celluloidscore.com/genres/action/) attempt. Mahishmati itself is conceived on the same scale: vast courtyards, a towering statue raised by thousands of labourers, and a palace that seems carved out of a mountain. Not every digital effect holds up, and some backdrops look plainly artificial, but the design has a coherence and ambition that make the fantasy feel lived-in. M. M. Keeravani's score gives even quiet moments the swell of legend. ## The flashback is where the film comes alive The strongest material arrives when the story turns back a generation, to two young princes raised side by side in Mahishmati's court. Ramya Krishnan's Sivagami, the queen mother who rules with iron authority, dominates every scene she is in, and Sathyaraj's Kattappa, a warrior bound by a slave's oath, gives the story its most intriguing moral knot. This half builds to a long battle sequence that remains one of the most ambitious action set pieces in Indian cinema, full of tactical ideas rather than just clashing crowds. Prabhas is more commanding in this section than as the carefree Shivudu, and Rana Daggubati brings genuine menace to Bhallaladeva's hunger for the throne. ## Where the film shows its seams The romance is the weakest part of the film and the most dated. Shivudu's courtship of Avanthika treats a skilled warrior's resistance as something to be charmed away, and a song sequence built on that idea sits uneasily today. It also shrinks Tamannaah Bhatia's character from fighter to love interest far too quickly. The other issue is structural. The film ends on a deliberate cliffhanger, with major threads left open for the sequel, so anyone expecting a self-contained story will feel short-changed. The first half's tone can also swing awkwardly between broad comedy, romance and grand tragedy. ## Who should watch Baahubali: The Beginning? It is ideal for viewers who love large-scale fantasy and mythic adventure, and it is the natural entry point for anyone curious about the Telugu blockbusters that later reached global audiences. Budget two and a half hours and, ideally, plan to continue straight into the sequel. The battle violence is frequent but stylised, making it suitable for older children and teenagers. Where to go next: - [Baahubali 2: The Conclusion](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/baahubali-2-2017-review/), which completes the story and is the stronger film of the two. - [RRR](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/rrr-2022-review/), in which Rajamouli applies the same outsized showmanship to a historical fiction. - [Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/salaar-part-1-ceasefire-2023-review/), another Prabhas-led epic about loyalty and power, told in a darker register. ## The verdict Baahubali: The Beginning is spectacle with a genuine sense of myth, anchored by a superb flashback and one of the great Indian battle sequences. Its romance has dated badly and its story is deliberately incomplete, but as the opening chapter of a two-part epic it remains exciting, influential and worth the time. **Rating: 4/5** ## Related title - [Baahubali: The Beginning (2015)](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/baahubali-the-beginning-2015/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)