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BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING

What You Need To Know:

BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING is a fantasy epic from South India, set in a mythical ancient land. A young, adventurous man, Shivudu, is rescued as an infant from a drowning woman in mysterious circumstances. The tribal people who raised him are astonished when he carries a stone altar to free his adopted mother from an unnecessary vow she made to her god. His mother is concerned about Shivudu’s fascination with a nearby sacred mountain. In the snowy forest at the top, Shivudu meets a warrior woman leading a small army of rebels. He falls in love with her. She’s fighting against an evil ruler, who’s holding her Queen prisoner. Shivudu vows to help her free the Queen, but in the process discovers his true, royal identity.

BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING wavers between amazing, grand scenery with austere acting to the occasional campy scene including some special effects glitches and editing mistakes. The dominant worldview is strongly pagan with subtle polytheistic references, mixed with a tale of good and evil. The violent battle scenes and abhorrent idol worship with animal sacrifice make BAAHUBALI unacceptable viewing.

Content:

(PaPaPa, FRFRFR, B, VVV, S, A, MMM) Very strong pagan, polytheistic worldview including animal sacrifice to pagan idols with the exception of only two characters who seek to end senseless sacrifice, and there are references to deities of nature; no foul language, but strong warlike language; very strong, strong and light violence includes several fighting and war sequences, sacrifice of an ox, beheading on the battlefield, with the head catapulting in the air and the body walking several steps with no head, blood is shown but not overly gory; some of the song and dance scenes include suggestive dancing and light embraces, and one implied sex scene; no actual explicit nudity, but brief upper back female nudity, dance costumes expose the midriff section; alcohol use is featured in one scene; no smoking; and, multiple instances of miscellaneous immorality including lying, stealing, revenge, greed, virtually every character has one or more tattoos, and self-worship.

More Detail:

BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING is the first part of a creative fantasy epic from South India, set in the mythical land of Mashimati. This “Tollywood” film differentiates from the standard Bollywood due to a grander plot based on royal intrigue and warring tribes, a few song and dance scenes, and is based in the Telugu language. The version reviewed was dubbed in Hindi with English subtitles. BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING tells an epic, engaging, violent story but features a very strong pagan, polytheistic worldview including abhorrent Hindu idols that require animal sacrifice and prayers to pagan gods.

An elderly royal woman saves an infant from peril. She prays to her god and then sacrifices herself by walking through a raging river holding the child above the water. A tribesman runs out to rescue the infant. As he lifts the child, the woman points to the waterfall mountain and then floats downstream.

The tribesman delivers the infant to Sanga, the chief’s overbearing wife, who adopts him. The adopted son, Shivudu, matures into a jovial, adventurous man with a curiosity about the waterfall mountain. He tries to climb the mountain many times but fails. Sanga, frustrated with Shivudu’s obsession with the mountain, prays to her pagan god and pours water over a stone altar to get him stop thinking about the mountain. Shivudu, who doesn’t want his mother to be overburdened with the senseless act of fetching and pouring water over the altar, strikes the base of the altar to release it, lifts and carries it to a waterfall. As he places it under the waterfall, Shivudu explains that Sanga’s god should be satisfied. The act of lifting and carrying the massive stone altar magnifies Shivudu to the status of a god within the tribe.

Shivudu receives a wooden mask that washes ashore. Newly inspired, he resumes the climb up the waterfall mountain and succeeds. In the snowy forest at the top, a young woman flees from soldiers pursuing her. It turns out she’s leading them into a trap where she and other resistance fighters kill all the soldiers. The young woman, Avanthika, and the resistance fighters have sworn allegiance to Queen Devasena who’s being held captive in the courtyard of King Bhallaladeva, the leader of Mahishmati. Shivudu falls in love with Avanthika, woos her and wins her love. Without knowing anyone involved, he pledges to help her save the Queen.

At this point, the movie introduces the King, who’s a strong, diabolical dictator. He’s holding the Queen as a prisoner. Shivudu and the resistance fighters plan to free the Queen during the King’s big birthday celebration. In the process of carrying out the plan, Shivudu discovers his true identity: he’s the son of the King’s brother, who the King had murdered to seize the throne.

The landscape and grandiose settings lend to the epic quality of BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING. Most of the special effects are phenomenal, but a few glitches were noticeable. There were also a few jolting editing cuts that made the quality seem less than pristine. Most of the actors performed well. with some campy characters thrown into the mix.

The biggest concerns regarding BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING are the violent battle scenes, the overt and abhorrent idol worship with animal sacrifice, and some sensual dancing. BAAHUBALI has an abhorrent pagan, polytheistic worldview, mixed with a plot of good versus evil. The movie’s violence warrants extreme caution, but the idol worship makes the movie unacceptable viewing for Christians.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

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Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.