The trailer of S. S. Rajamouli’s magnum opus, Baahubali 2 : The Conclusion, dropped earlier in the day and it’s safe to say that audiences, across the country, are waiting for the film’s release with bated breath.
The first film, released in 2015, was a massively-scaled film that took us on an unexpected adventure ride, giving us an experience that isn’t common when it comes to films in India.
The larger-than-life grandeur of the film kept us in awe and the elaborate story had us hooked.
But before we watch the film on April 28, let’s have a quick recap of the events that transpired in the first one, shall we?
The film starts in the ancient kingdom of Mahishmati where an old woman crosses raging waters with an infant in her arms.
While the woman dies, the infant is saved and is taken in by the tribal clan.
The infant grows up as Shiva (Prabhas) and honestly, his physical strength is beyond par with any superhero.
Shiva falls in love with a mysterious, masked girl and after a long song sequence, we discover the girl, Avanthika (Tamannaah Bhatia), who is quite a badass.
She is part of the group that is deeply invested in the politics of Mahishmati.
But what is the politics of Mahishmati?
The king Bhallala Deva (Rana Daggubati) has captured the former Queen, Devasena (Anushka Shetty), and has kept her in chains for more than 25 years.
Avanthika is given the task to rescue her and Shiva offers his help. The two fall in love after a picturesque song sequence.
Shiva actually manages to rescue the woman but is followed by Kattappa (Sathyaraj). Kattappa is like the commander of the army.
However, Kattappa drops his weapons after he sees Shiva’s face.
Kattappa realises that Shiva is actually the son of the former king, Baahubali (also played by Prabhas, of course).
This is where the flashback starts.
Kattappa narrates the story of Baahubali’s childhood. How he lost his parents as a child but was brought up his aunt, Sivagami. The aunt’s son, Bhalla Deva, was almost the same age and the two were seen as competitors for the throne.
Baahubali was loved and adored by the masses and Bhalla Deva was almost the Duryodhana for the folks of the kingdom. And obviously, no one liked him.
Meanwhile, their kingdom is attacked and it is announced that who so ever cuts the head of the opposition’s lead, will get the throne.
Though Bhalla Deva cuts the head off, Baahubali is declared as the king for his exemplary leadership.
Kattappa ends his narration here.
Shiva is excited to know about his father and naturally asks about his whereabouts. To which Kattappa says, he was the one who killed Baahubali.
For the two and a half years, various theories have cropped up as to ‘why did Kattappa kill Baahubali’.
Everyone who has seen the film has discussed this and after a long wait, we’ll finally know the answer to this question.
The most crucial cliffhanger, ever, will now have its climax and we can’t wait to watch this in the theaters.