Baahubali 2: SS Rajamouli and other south directors have reinterpreted epics. Why Bollywood lags behind?

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When it comes to filming on epic scale and blowing money like explosives, few native film industries in India can beat Telugu cinema, Andhra Pradesh’s home-grown popcorn factory. The country’s other regional cinema is still lagging behind miles in terms of lavish budgets. One of the earliest films to be mounted on a lavish scale in India was a Telugu blockbuster, 1933’s Savitri, a Mahabharata legend retold on cinema. Made at a budget of Rs 10 lakh, a hefty sum then, it was one of the most expensive films of its time.

Poster of SS Rajamouli film Magadheera.

Most cinema historians cite Mayabazar, starring the then Telugu upstart NT Rama Rao (NTR) as Krishna, as a classic of the mythological genre. Its technical wizardry and extravagant visuals were far ahead of its time. Reportedly, at first, NTR was reluctant to take on the role of Krishna, and wanted to essay Karna but the director convinced him otherwise. After the smashing success of Mayabazar, Rama Rao, later the CM of Andhra Pradesh, went on to play Lord Krishna in 17 films. 1963 saw two legendary epics starring NTR, one retold from Ramayana and another, from Mahabharata. In Lava Kusa, NTR played Lord Rama while in Nartanasala, the popular star was seen as Arjuna from Mahabharata. NTR also dabbled in Tamil cinema with Sampoorna Ramayanam, 1958, where he was once again seen as Lord Ram while Sivaji Ganesan was Bharatha. 1965’s Thiruvilaiyadal was a Sivaji Ganesan epic that depicted the lives of Lord Shiva’s devotees in an episodic storytelling format. Karnan, 1964, was another Ganesan extravaganza in which he essays the titular role. A true passion project, the Tamil historical drama Chandralekha, released in 1948, was at one time the most expensive film ever made in India. Its director, SS Vasan sold his personal belongings to complete this epic. Its exquisite sets, sword fight scenes and intricately picturised dance sequences (its popular drum dance can be found on YouTube) has made Chandralekha a Tamil classic.

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In all these films, the common thread is the messianic power of the Tamil and Telugu superstars, all of whom play Hindu mythological legends with whom the masses can connect with easily and even worship and a visual razzle dazzle all rolled into an epic show. That should explain why most legendary South Indian stars who made their name with mythological and historical epics went on to have successful innings as politicians. With their messianic popularity and God-like status, helped considerably by their movie persona, stars like MGR, NTR, M Karunanidhi and J.Jayalalitha took their theatrics to politics and made rhetoric flourish both their trademark and a political art.

In Bollywood, the term ‘epic’ takes on a different meaning altogether. One of Bollywood’s greatest epics is Mughal-E-Azam which may fail the historical accuracy test but works wonders as a dramatization of the Mughal court. The film’s roots lay in Parsi theatre. Its lavishly mounted songs, the classic music, and the overall grandeur along with legendary Urdu dialogue and dramatic performances by Madhubala, Prithviraj Kapoor and an understated Dilip Kumar makes Mughal-A-Azam one of the most-watched Hindi classics. The Nargis-starrer Mother India, of 1957, is sheer epic in terms of its scale and the narrative linked to the epitome of an Indian woman. Nargis is Mother India, a virtuous and quintessential Indian woman who can kill her son to save the honour of another woman. As Hindi cinema got into another stage, with our political and social landscape changing rapidly historical epics gave way to happy-go-lucky musicals of the 1960s and the emergence of the angry young man in the 70s. Talking of 70s, the star-studded Sholay springs to mind. The Spaghetti Western is pure fiction, with not a shred of history in it. But few films have reverberated in the Indian psyche as relentlessly and powerfully as the Ramesh Sippy dacoit drama.

In the following decades, the historical epic more or less disappeared, only making its presence felt in 2000s. Shah Rukh Khan appeared in Asoka, playing the Maurya dynasty emperor. Another Khan (Aamir Khan) tried his luck with the genre in Mangal Pandey: The Rising, but it tanked. Salman Khan’s Veer, with shades of 300 and other Roman gladiatorial epics, was grand and much-hyped but failed at the box-office, much like the star’s earlier dud Suryavanshi. Of contemporary stars, Hrithik Roshan seems to have a proclivity for epics. Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa-Akbar and the much-panned Mohenjo Daro, featuring the star, are cases in point. Also count Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Bajirao Mastani, based on the romance between Bajirao Peshwa and Mastani Bai.

As it turns out, SS Rajamouli, the director of Baahubali, himself is no stranger to epics. His 2009 blockbuster Magadheera starring Ram Charan was one of the highest grossing Indian epics of all time. As Baahubali’s final instalment enters the box-office battle fray (trade pundits are predicting massive ticket sales), it looks like Rajamouli’s magical run at the box-office will continue.

(Shaikh Ayaz is a writer and journalist based in Mumbai)