Welcome back to Bahubali! I am going to do another post on “Dandaalayya”, because there is so much more to consider in it. And then get into the “bad part” a little bit. (part 15 here, you can crawl back from there)
Previously in the second half, Prabhas tried to follow his Dharma, which meant going against the laws of Mahishmati when they conflicted with true Dharma. Ramya saw this as rebellion, Rana saw this as an opportunity to get rid of him, Anushka approved of it since she also believed in pure Dharma. In the end, Prabhas was stripped of all his powers one by one, and finally thrown out into the world with nothing but the clothes on his back and his pregnant wife.
And the song starts! There is a lot happening in the visuals of this song, and I think there might be a talky-talky bit in the middle too. In the last section I just scratched the surface, talked about how Anushka’s pregnant belly is a constant reminder that Prabhas 2 is there as well, learning from his father how to be a good man. Through out the second half of the film, but especially in this section. At the baby shower, Rana used twisted logic to say he was giving Anushka what she needed most, time with her husband, by taking away his responsibilities. But in this song, we see that is in fact what she gets. Anushka and Prabhas are almost always in frame together here, with her belly growing larger and larger. Anushka and little fetus Prabhas 2 are getting to see how Prabhas 1 functions in the world, sharing in his growth, in a way they couldn’t in the restricted world of the palace.
I’m sorry, I can’t remember who in the comments pointed out that Anushka gets all she asks for in the baby shower scene, but in a twisted way! Whoever it was, you got me thinking about this section in a new way. The argument from Anonymous Commentator (please identify yourself and I will give you credit!) was that Anushka does get everything she is promised. Kattappa puts the baby’s foot on his head after birth, and Prabhas becomes a king in his own way during this song. I add on that Ramya delivers the protection to the heir of Mahishmati that she promises, both protecting the baby and making him heir. And then in this section, Rana’s duplicity promise that a mother only craves time with her husband comes true, Anushka gets to spend the last trimester of her pregnancy in constant contact with her beloved husband.
That’s part of the sweetness of this song, getting to see them be a simple couple in a way they never could in the palace. Not because it was a palace, but because of who lived there. I never doubted that Prabhas and Anushka lived each other and had a happy life. But in the palace that happy life was surrounded by stresses and rules as soon as they stepped out of the door, rules put on by Ramya and Rana, not innate to royal life.
It kind of reminds me, have you seen the movie Eat a Bowl of Tea? It’s a really sweet film, set in the Chinese-American community in the post-WWII era. Our young hero and heroine meet and get married very quickly. Before they have time to feel sure of their reasons for marriage, if he is just eager for a wife because he is sickened by war and she is so pretty, if she is just desperate to get out of her village and to America, if it is simply the easy way out because their parents kind of expect it. Anyway, they have this really quick and happy love story, and then they go back to live near his family, and everything starts to go wrong for no reason. They just never seem to have time together, time to talk and be happy and figure out who they are as a couple and enjoy this new marriage. There is a happy ending, don’t worry, but it’s not really about resolving any huge problems, it’s just getting away from the family and being able to be themselves. That’s all they needed.
(The post is a fairly accurate vision of the problems in the marriage, but slightly sex-farce looking, which the film isn’t at all. Really, watch it!)
In “Dandaalayya”, both Anushka and Prabhas seem much happier than they have been since Kuntala. And also more relaxed together, smiling and touching each other, touching each other almost constantly, not in a sexual way, but just because they love each other so much and are so happy to be together. And the constant touching of Prabhas’ hands on Anushka’s stomach is not just a reminder that he is giving his influence to Prabhas 2, it is also because he is a nice young man who is very very happy about his first child. And Anushka is as well, it’s not just that he is holding her stomach, it’s that she is calling him over, all excited, eager for him to feel the baby kick and share this wonder with her. They aren’t dignified responsible royals, they are eager and nervous and excited, just like any other couple.
That’s the personal part of the song, there is also the public duty part of it. Or, not duty, but public joy almost. We stat by seeing them in the workers’ village, Prabhas cutting stones. But he notices how hard the work is, and how likely it is to cause injuries. So he goes back to his hut and pulls out his engineering compass and straightedge (which I guess he brought with him from the palace? Or built himself out of his own brilliance?) and designs a little wheel shaped rock breaking tool. What’s interesting about this is that it is an idea that comes entirely outside of his palace experience. The initial inspiration was the waterwheel he saw on his travels. And the motivation is the labor of the common people that he is aware of for the first time and wishes to ease. Two things, new ideas and getting to know the commoners you can make their lives better, which are not part of the Mahishmati court as we see it. Which doesn’t mean it is a bad court, we did see that Mahishmati cares about protecting its people, respecting old ideas, and keeping things working reasonably smoothly. But it isn’t about new ideas and making things easier for the people.
(there’s also a whole thing about how in today’s India, engineering has become the highest of achievements, thus tying the modern day assumptions into this fairy tale land. But that’s too obvious, so I don’t want to get into that)
It’s also interesting that this is the job he found, working in a quarry. I mean, it’s always a quarry, isn’t it? Whenever our hero is exiled, he ends up breaking rocks with no shirt on. But in this case, I had to think about it for a second, but this quarry tells us about about the society. First, it is always building. Remember Rana was going to make Prabhas a massive summer palace? Why? They already had a palace! There is a certain concern with appearance, with dominance, in constantly building new structures. And secondly, while doing all this building, they don’t care much for the people. Or think about them at all. In two ways, this quarry is a needlessly dangerous and unpleasant place. And secondly, the people laboring here could instead be farming or artisans or otherwise doing something that would contribute to the common good, rather than to only those who can afford and want massive stone buildings.
The quarry waterwheel is interesting in a lot of ways, but the palm tree water slingshot is frankly silly. And I don’t think it would actually work. The idea is to save women from going all the way down to the spring for water. So instead they have to do a massive day long task of using pulleys to lower a basket tied between two palm trees, and then slingshotting the basket up to the top of the hill where the village is. And then they do it again and again until a central pool in the village is filled. And then all the women will empty it as they use water, and the whole process will have to be done again in like 3 days! What’s the point of this? The only advantage is instead of women doing hard labor for an hour, you have men doing hard labor all day. It’s just silly. Although it’s also a nice pairing with the water wheel, since the water wheel looks to the past, Prabhas’ travels, and the silly slingshot thing looks forward, to the final battle, when Prabhas 2 will take his father’s idea and somehow manage to make it even more silly.
And then there’s the way Prabhas 1 interacts with the people. We never really got to see him spend much time with people before. He had happy moments playing with crowds, or joking with friends (Kattappa, Subaraju, Rana in the beginning), but we never got to see him actually leading. That’s what we see here, how Prabhas 1 would be within a community.
(that’s where we started with Prabhas 2, seeing him being joked about by the fellow villagers, teasing his mother, grumping at the priest, and so on. He always saw himself as one of the people, what we saw was the first moment when he became distinctly “other” than them)
In the comments, we’ve already talked about how Prabhas 1 and Anushka might have had a happy life in this village, they didn’t seem to want anything more. But I think even if they didn’t want it, they would have gotten more. Because Prabhas 1 couldn’t change who he is, and he couldn’t stop leading.
What I find really interesting is that the things we see here aren’t because he is the former heir to Mahishmati. They are because of who he is inside. If he had been born in this little village, he still would have grown to be the center of it, the one who the small children go to when they are hungry and he gives away his food, who old women bless, he sees a problem and determines to solve it.
What is because of Mahishmati is his Kshatriya skills. Of all the things we see him do in the village, building labor saving devices, happily taking blessings from the old women, shining forth while Anushka sits back and smiles (sitting back in a way she never could before, when she was always trying to push him towards the potential he has now achieved), the one I find most interesting is the little moment when we see him happily teaching the little boys fighting techniques.
This is truly dangerous. It isn’t meant to be, Prabhas isn’t thinking about it particularly, you can see that he is smiling and relaxed about it, just enjoying being with the kids and helping them learn something. But what he has to teach them, what comes naturally to him, is Kshatriya knowledge.
Prabhas is breaking caste. Give him a few more months, or years, and he will turn these little peasant boys into elite warriors. Not just skilled in arms, but trained in Dharma, in judgement, in charity, all of the virtues Prabhas believes in. Caste has been confirmed multiple times in this film, but always in terms of an essential inner quality further molded by training, not merely birth. During the Kuntala battle, Kattappa called on the cowherders, with Prabhas 1’s encouragement, to join the battle as it is right for everyone to fight. Now, Prabhas is working alongside the laborers, because there is work that needs to be done. But he also sees that if he, trained in Kshatriya skills, can work at labor, than that means that children raised to be laborers, could also be Kshatriya’s.
(Rejecting the story of Eklavya, basically)
It’s not just breaking cast, it’s also building an army. Prabhas doesn’t see it that way, would never even consider it. He is just doing what comes naturally. But what is natural for him is to win the love and loyalty of the community. And to train the young people of the community as he was trained. Which means, letting nature take it’s course, in a few years Prabhas will have an established infrastructure that might rival that in major cities (thanks to his engineering achievements), a culture of happiness and caring (as we can see from how he lovingly interacts with others), and devoted young people who have learned the very best possible military skills and will be loyal to him above all else.
Rana comes by at this point and observes this happy band, and declares to his father that it isn’t enough to exile Prabhas, he is a threat as long as he is alive. It sounds petty, but I think it is a straight statement of fact. Just by being himself, Prabhas will inevitably rise to the top, over and over, and Rana will have to keep beating him down.
Speaking of Rana, someone in the comments (again, sorry! there are so many now, I have a hard time finding the particular reference) talked about how Subbaraju is kind of an alternative version of Rana. He loses in the Anushka love triangle, and happily steps aside to become a loving brother-in-law and brother to them both, truly delighted that they have found happiness together. He is an alternate in this song as well, another version of what happens when you realize someone else might have a better right to your throne.
I’m not 100% on the geography of Mahishmati, I assumed this quarry was near the palace, since that same peasant-woman-who-is-everywhere lives there, and also seems to be crazed-mob distance from the royal courtyard. But in the middle of this song, Subbaraju appears and is clearly serving as the royal circuit rider for the village. Showing up and hearing current disputes and giving judgements. So maybe they are living on the outskirts of Kuntala?
(Abraham Lincoln, also a circuit rider. The lawyers and judges would travel town to town, solving all the legal issues from criminal to civil in a few days once a month)
Anyway, the point is, we see Subbaraju clearly giving judgements. And then Prabhas comes in and gives an opinion. Not in a pushy way, the body language doesn’t have him shoving Subbaraju aside or anything. But at the same time, the scene quickly shifts to Subbaraju sitting lower on the central stone, and Prabhas sitting above him. And Subbaraju is silent, while Prabhas gestures and obviously takes over the judgements.
In the last throne room scene, the trial of Anushka, Rana and Ramya were shocked and angry when Prabhas took over. Well, Ramya was angry, Rana was kind of pleased at the opportunity. But Subbaraju here, he is open minded, he sees that Prabhas is better at this and lets him take over. There is no injured pride, or fear of losing place. He steps aside for the better man because it is the thing to do. Which in some ways makes Subbaraju himself the better man, better in this one particular way than anyone else in the film. There is a special nobility in knowing you are not the best, and using that as an inspiration to be the best you can be, instead of a desire to draw down the rest to your level. And I think it might be the miss-use of that nobility that makes this next section so unutterably sad.
(He has that same nobility in real life, making the most of supporting roles instead of trying to over-shadow the star)
dontcallitbollywood 
First of all: yes, yes, the new Mahishmati here is above strict division of caste or birth, it’s more based on essential qualities (like you said, Prabhas 1 would have done the same if he were born into this community), and that’s so radical. One of the messages of the first one that made me a little leery was the implication that blood is more important than anything, that Prabhas 2 is somehow “better” than the other villagers because of his unknown royal birth, but to me that’s undercut by the scene here. Prabhas 1 is just the leader because he’s the one who will speak up, try to fix problems, help others instead of just getting by – and Prabhas 2 inherits that trait from him and Anushka, not some magical superiority just because he is a Kshatriya.
– I agree too that Prabhas would always keep on rising up, and have to be beaten down. But the tragedy, I think, is that from his perspective, the reason he is so unprepared for his eventual death and betrayal because he’s taken himself away from the court, away from the line of succession, won’t Rana and Nasser be satisfied and just leave him be? I think he gave up on living in the palace once he saw that their vindictiveness was going to extend to his wife and child, but I genuinely think he feels they’ve gotten what they wanted, now they need to move on.
– I assumed they were living in the mountains since that would be the source of rock for the quarries, and Kuntala is near the mountains too, IIRC. Except I don’t see Subbaraju having any official post here, I just see him popping in and out to visit them over the three months they spend there! In the scene you mention, I don’t think Subbaraju is presiding over the hearing – he is shown listening, but he is at the foot of the rock thing, and Prabhas is clearly sitting above him, leaning back like a king would in his court. I don’t think we see him speak? I dunno, maybe I’m wrong. And interesting note, too, Anushka sits not beside Prabhas, but slightly lower and to the left, exactly where Ramya’s is in the real court. Is that just the go-to position for queens in Baahubali-land?
– Other things I liked about Anushka: I did also love that she’s not just admiring Prabhas’ accomplishments, it’s hinted that she has responsibilities of her own, in that one scene where Prabhas sees the guy wounded in the quarries. Not only does she start off standing by the goats (they had loads of herd animals in Kuntala, I figured she knows more about the care and keeping of animals than Prabhas does), but she is the one they bring the injured guy over to, and she dresses his wounds and gives him instructions in a fairly professional manner. And then I remember that when Prabhas gets hit by the bull, she’s the first one over, matter-of-factly pulling his shirt aside to take a look at the wound – yeah, it could just be her concern, but also makes sense if she has basic first aid/combat medic training. (Also, her ladies-in-waiting come with them to the village, too, even if they presumably aren’t paid and could have easily opted to go back home to Kuntala instead! How sweet!)
– And finally, for your daily dose of Irrational Kattappa Hate up until That Scene: where the heck is he? I mean, three months and he couldn’t stop by once, see how they were managing? Subbaraju is, I assume, the new heir to Kuntala since Anushka married out, and he’s just hanging out in Mahishmati all the time! (I kid, I kid, I just can’t find anything else to gripe about since we never see him in this part.)
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Oh, drat, forgot to add: The coconut tree catapult scene is totally stupid, but in Prabhas’ defense, I don’t think it was about the amount of labor involved as much as the danger. There’s like, twenty people clinging to the side of the cliff to get the water and pass it up one handed, and it could have just as easily been one of them stumbling and falling to their death, or someone could have dropped a pot of water to fall on someone’s head and do a lot of damage. In contrast, using the boat to scoop up water at least had everyone on level ground, far away from the cliff’s edge, and only had to be done once every three or so days, not every time they wanted water.
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-To go along with the anti-“Blood is all” message, we also see in this film how flawed Prabhas 1’s blood relations are. Nassar and Rama are both freakishly strong and smart and good in battle, all things that truly are genetic. But they are not noble or wise or good or any more deserving to be rulers than anyone else. Prabhas 1’s greatest qualities come from Ramya and Kattappa and Anushka, the family he chooses, not the one he is born into. In the same way, Prabhas 2 gains his greatest personality traits from his adoptive mother, and from Tamannah. We can see the influence of his biological parents, but it is not all that he is.
-You’re right, that’s a big part of Dandaalayyaa, he is part of this community not in a “well, I’ll make the best of it” kind of way, but in a “this is my life now and forever, and that’s okay.” He and Anushka are preparing for many years living in this village, raising their child/children, and possibly never seeing their Mahishmati family again. They have left that behind them.
-I also noticed how Anushka was sitting close but to the side of Prabhas. Just as he is inevitably turning into the King he is meant to be, she is taking up the position of Queen. Oh, and I am pretty sure the sequence starts with Subbaraju clearly giving judgements on his regular visit to the village, and then Prabhas naturally taking over from him. On your next inevitable re-watch, see if you can check! Or maybe they will let us have the Dandaalayya video, now that they have finally dribbled out the real Saahore Baahubali video.
-Good point about Anushka! And knowledge of medical skills would be a nice practical compliment to battle skills and engineering. Something that the working class would not have the time to devote to learning, and therefore something that it is the responsibility of the elites to develop within themselves in order to better provide service to the workers.
-Setting aside the Irrational Kattappa Hate (store it up for tomorrow! That’s the Big Post), I also assumed Subbaraju was the new heir, which was part of the reason I thought he might be giving judgement here. And it is also a nice character touch for him, he may seem like a coward and an idiot, but he did have the basic judgement-giving skills inside him, just like he had the weapon skills, through a combination of genetics and lifelong training.
On Thu, May 18, 2017 at 3:33 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Hi M,
It was me that made teh comment about Anushka getting her wishes. Thanks for making a mention 🙂
The Dandalayya song is scripted so well. Ihave heard to both teh Telugu and Tamil versions and love both. That scene where he is holding court sittign on a stone teh song actually says even a boulder that you sit on becomes your throne. And the Telugu version goes on to say when the old lady feeds him a morsel you are our king, our father, our son and may all our years of life be yours. It was all those good wishes that saw the son, erstwhile Bahubali live and grow up rather than die that dark night.
It is Bijala who makes that statement about Bahu being a king irrespective of where he is. He is the one who comes and tells Ramya he is now holding court and asking people to come to him with their issues and confesses that he fears something bad may happen. Ramya is so isolated in the palace especially after Bahu left that she has lost all sense of perspective. Katappa is too heartbroken and I think him being a slave prevents him from going to meet a person in exile.
I love the point you made about how Bahu is all about the family he chose. Even at the coronation where Rana speaks of him being Sivagami and Bijala’s son, Bahu simple says, I, Amarendra Bahubali. Even then he had already made a name for himself. Be it accompanying his mother when she went to that faraway temple for the demon fire ritual, or when he hung around her while she was donating clothes to masses, lifting kids on his shoulders, he became the king he did because of who he was. His genetics should have helped after all his father was chosen to be the ruler was he not.
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-Nice idea with the blessings of the villagers helping Prabhas 2 to survive. It kind of cuts down on the feeling that nothing Prabhas 1 did ultimately mattered, since Rana so completely destroyed it. His good deeds came forward by bringing protection to his son.
-Interesting that Nassar was the one to confront Ramya. It goes back to what we talked about in that initial throne room scene, how they have this frought relationship where she is disgusted with him, but at the same time he is her husband and the father of her child and she can’t quite shut him out.
-Skipping ahead to the next coronation, I love that Prabhas 2’s adoptive mother is the one who blesses him. So that his adoptive upbringing isn’t be rejected, and he isn’t being turned into just Anushka and Prabhas 1’s son, with nothing specific to his own life.
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Now skipping REALLY far ahead, to pretty much the last line of the movie, was anyone else disappointed that Amarendra repeated the line that (according to the discussion here) led to all the damage and destruction to Mahishmati?
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I was disappointed because I wanted him to say he was swearing in front of Anushka! If that’s what you are referring to. I saw the original line as being a reference to Ramya as both his mother, and the Queen Mother and moral leader of the kingdom. And I thought Anushka had earned the right to be seen in the same way.
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No, that’s not what I was referring to. I guess there’s no point worrying about spoilers at this stage, so I won’t be coy any more. After proclaiming that everyone is equal and whoever doesn’t respect that doesn’t have a place in the kingdom, he then ends it with, “That’s my word. And my word is the law!” which to me contradicted everything that came before it. And also opens the door to him developing just as much hubris as the previous rulers.
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Oh, that is really interesting! I think I am okay with it, because my interpretation of the Judgement of Anushka scene was that the problem was with the law books being the primary consideration, and the royals giving up their responsibility to the books. Ramya made her own judgement with no outside consideration in her two greatest moments, declaring that she would rule as regent and the babies had equal right to the throne when they grew up, and declaring that Prabhas 1 was the rightful heir. Also declaring that Prabhas 2 was the rightful heir, come to think of it!
It was when Ramya started to listen to Nassar, and think about the pride of Mahishmati, and change her mind on things that everything went bad.
On Fri, May 19, 2017 at 9:43 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The adoptive parents are on the rung of the pyramid just below the king in the coronation scene.
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Both parents, or just the mother? I noticed the mother, but I don’t remember seeing the father, which could just be my bad memory.
On Sat, May 20, 2017 at 11:05 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Both are. The father is on the other side. And looks a bit diff than when he was introduced.
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Glad to hear it! he didn’t get much to do in either film, but he did save the babies life and presumably was a big part of Prabhas 2’s upbringing, nice that he is still around.
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I think the father was there but I don’t exactly remember.
Since you’re already talking about the next coronation, were you disappointed that Nassar was still part of the royal family after all that he had done. I would have hoped that they hung him or something by then.
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YES!!!! By the time he was sneaking around whispering in Kattappa’s ears during the final battle, all my friends and I were just chanting “kill him kill him kill him” under our breaths. Kattappa punching him was great, but it would have been so much more satisfying to have him just stab the guy.
On Sat, May 20, 2017 at 9:23 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Exactly! I wanted Kattappa to stab him too! That would’ve been way more satisfying.
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Another thing I really liked about the song is that it showed that no matter how much they seemed to be involved with the common people, Prabhas1 and Ansuhka had their own little world where they have their own little moments.
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Yes! Something we saw a little bit with their wedding night scene, but no more than that in the palace period. Which could be just because the film didn’t show it to us, but I also think it’s to show us that they didn’t have that luxury of time together at the palace. Now, living with the regular people, they can be so much closer.
On Fri, May 19, 2017 at 8:19 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Moimeme,
I had mixed feelings about that last line of the movie too. I get it they wanted to end it on an impactful note but it seems too aggressive and out of place at that moment.
But yes since it was still a monarchy I guess the king’s word had to be law and the story sort of tells us that he would not be a good and fair king not least because of the company he has to guide him (Devasena, Avanthika, adoptive parents)
Margaret,
Ironical is it not that in B1 Sivagami refuses to name a baby the heir wanting to wait and see how they shape up but in B2 she quickly names baby Mahendra the king. Did she just trust her genetics having their way, Bahu’s father was good, Bahu was too and hence his son will be as her own instincts let her down so spectacularly?
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I’d like to make sense of that last line with the thought that its a warning to all the remaining people who were loyal to Rana and Nasser. We see the image of Rana’s statue being pushed down the river and also, Nasser is standing on the topmost platform of the pyramid while Prabhas2 makes this statement. It did seem a bit cocky coming out of Prabhas2’s mouth because he isn’t all that ‘kingly’ yet but I think it represents his attitude and personality. He wasn’t brought up with the royal family and their ways haven’t been ingrained in him yet. But, it looks like we are shown that he’s got his father’s sense of Dharma (which is represented by his raised arm a la Prabhas1) and his grandmother’s strength of will (the proclaimation that his word is law). I suppose we need to assume that his mothers and his wife/girlfriend and Katappa will be there to guide him through. He obviously has a solid foundation having been brought up in an environment filled with love and acceptance which makes it easier for him to blindly believe that he can do no wrong as he’s got family to fall back on if he does (quite similar to Anushka). I doubt Prabhas1 would have made this proclaimation if he became the king. He knew he had no one to call his own in the traditional sense – everyone in his life was lent to him (I am sure Nasser would have made no qualms about constantly reminding him that he was not Ramya’s real son which is probably why he didn’t look too shocked or reacted much when Nasser made that accusation in the scene with Anushka refusing to marry Rana) Which is why he takes his relationships seriously. Every oath he utters and every vow he makes is done with absolute conviction and deliberation (which is why they are all so personal). Case in point – Prabhas2 tells Tamannah that she is his but Prabhas1 tells Anushka that he is hers. 🙂
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I also like to think of it as Prabhas 2 being raised in a smaller society. What little we saw of the forest people showed that their group was ruled by the word of the leader and nothing else. Technically his adoptive father, but pretty clearly actually his adoptive mother (I love her!). We also saw in the battle scenes, that he is quick to give orders and expect them to be followed, no second guessing of himself or hesitation. Prabhas 1 worked out his whole battle plan on the little sand table, Prabhas 2 just went ahead and did it. While this may not work in Mahishmati on a day to day basis, I could see it being better for those big decisions.
the same would be true of Anushka, in Kuntala she didn’t have to consider the ramifications or bigger issues of what she did, because she knew everyone who would be affected and what they would need and could just do it. Of course, that got her into a little trouble with the proposal scene, but even there, she was willing to make her pretty apology which would have smoothed it all over, if Rana hadn’t gotten involved.
On Sat, May 20, 2017 at 12:06 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yes! His adoptive mother is kickass! I love how indulgent of him she is. Even when she hears the story from Katappa that Prabhas1 is not technically her son, she responds with “My (our) Shivudu is the son of such a great warrior?!”. Goes to show how confident and comfortable she is about her relationship with him and vice versa. He’s so lucky – so many people around to shower him with love.
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I love the way Anushka’s motherly love carries through, first coming to Ramya who is inspired to huge acts of devotion, and then Ramya’s devotion inspires his adoptive mother. If that makes sense? It’s like his loving childhood isn’t completely unrelated to his birth family, it’s their blessings that give it to him.
On Sat, May 20, 2017 at 11:56 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yes, it makes complete sense. She is such a powerful woman in that way, isn’t she? That she changed people’s destiny by the power of her emotions alone.
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So, I’ve just been speaking with my Baahubali crazy friend and she pointed something out. During the scene with pregnant Anushka in chains, Rana gets so mad at Prabhas1 that he breaks the stone under his feet in his fury. What if Ramya was scared that he would order Prabhas1’s execution on the spot and that is why she diverts the attention to her and makes a big deal out of Prabhas1 insulting the court and orders his banishment. Maybe she knew that he would survive better out of the palace and hoped that Rana’s and Nasser’s desire to destroy him would subside. She might have understood that Rana wanted to get back at Anushka (maybe through Prabhas1) which is why she was brought in after the sethupathy incident. Also, what if she plotted to get Katappa involved in the killing plans in the hope that he would help Prabhas1 or aid his escape or something? She looks torn when Nasser states that Prabhas1 had to die and appears to immediately make plans to make his death soemthing that she can orchetrate (with claims that the kingdom would revolt and that Rana shouldn’t be known as the king who killed his brother). When Katappa walks into the palace after killing Prabhas1, she does look hopeful and then absolutely shocked when he tells her that Prabhas1 is dead. She is fond of statecraft (like when she bought off the guards at the time of taking over as queen regent) as opposed to being straightforward with her intentions (unlike Anushka) and maybe she thought that she could save Prabhas1 by manipulating the situations in a way to offer him an escape route. She did look torn when he was stripped of his position as commander in chief and later at having to send him away. Maybe she thought she was doing him good. She just didn’t take Rana’s madness into consideration (as evidenced by her shock when Katappa tells her about him after Prabhas1’s death) and severely underestimated Katappa. She might have banked on the relationship and friendship between Katappa and Prabhas1 to get the former to save the latter – but sadly, that wasn’t to be so.
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why hasn’t your Bahubali crazed friend joined us over here? We’re so nice!
I like this theory. I think it isn’t 100% true, but I can believe that it is like 20% true. On some subconscious level, Ramya sensed that Mahishmati was dangerous for Prabhas and Anushka and kept trying to find ways to keep them safe without being brave enough to face head on the reasons that she felt they were in danger.
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She does know that you’re all so nice! She has a precocious 10 month old which doesn’t leave her much time for anything else, though. Which is why she is living all the Baahubali-excitement from this blog through me😀
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You are right, that was a terrible decision! Naming the baby king I mean. It could have backfired real bad, and we had a whole other inheritance issue situation. But maybe it was a kind of triage decision. Either Rana remained king with his child as heir, or she took a chance and named this baby, assuming that Anushka would act as regent. it’s after that that she comes inside and wants to get Rana arrested, right? So she might still be thinking that they can set all this kind of right, and get Anushka on the throne as Queen Mother where she belongs, which would leave the kingdom in good hands at least for the next 20 years until the baby grows up, and presumably after that if Anushka is able to raise it.
another kind of out there reading of the next scene would be that if she doesn’t get the baby away, there is a slight chance that instead of klling it, Rana will end up raising it, turning it into yet another bad ruler.
On Sat, May 20, 2017 at 11:19 AM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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She had no hope of Bhalla raising the child for Bijala already asked her to snuff the life of the baby and Bhalla asked her to address the people while he took care of the baby. Bhalla if he let the baby live would have raised the child in captivity away from Devasena and used it as another shackle to try and control her.
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I was thinking that her announcement of the baby as ruler might have opened up a small possibility that Bhalla would choose to raise the child in order to control it. But you are right, most likely Bhalla would still have killed it.
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Hello guys. Just found out this blog by chance & have been loving the detailed posts & analysis. Just getting lost on the use of actors’ names as opposed to the characters
Since we are talking of Sivagami & her declaring the baby as King; my thoughts are:
I always saw Sivagami as the “Kingmaker”. In the case of Amarendra & Bhallaladeva, she literally raised them up to be kings.
People are labelling Katappa as the “Bhishma” figure but I always saw Sivagami as the “Bhishma” figure. Both Bhishma & Sivagami are not the actual/designated rulers. They don’t sit the throne. And they both reject the notion of it, when it comes from someone else. By rejecting power, both acquire a sort of moral power. Both never sat the throne yet its unquestionable who is the actual rulers. Since they never had the throne, they don’t have the fear of losing it (&their power) . They are also known as the “Epitome of Justice” in their kingdoms. And both are such grey characters!
Both characters rule the kingdom strongly as regents. And both have tragic flaws in them.
Secondly, due to their somewhat “neutral” position regarding the claimants to the throne, they are in a powerful position of deciding the next King.
Coming back to B2, Sivagami was clever when she seized the opportunity to proclaim baby-Mahendra as King. It gave legitimacy to the baby & prevented Bhalla & Bijjala from inventing new schemes to defame the baby (by questioning whether Mahendra was really Devasena/Amarendra’s baby, etc).
I guess Sivagami was already aware in that scene about the danger faced by the baby (they would have tried to kill him anyways).
And the character of Sivagami was such that she only had to hold up the baby in the balcony & announce him as King once & nobody questioned her but accepted it as fact.
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Hi! I don’t know why, but this comment got caught in spam and I just found it.
I love your idea of Sivagami as the kingmaker, gaining more power by not sitting on the throne than they would have by sitting on it.
And that she reaps the reward of seeming sacrifice by being unquestioned because her choice is always seem as neutral and just. But, of course, just because she gave up the throne does not mean she gave up all human weaknesses.
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The first time I saw Dandalayya, it immediately reminded me of a song in Indra. It starts at 7:35 in this video.
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Yes! You are absolutely right!
On Thu, May 18, 2017 at 8:05 PM, dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Except the Indra song is specifically about bringing water to the people (via the reservoir) and not about Indra himself. I agree the incidents prior to the song are similar to the incidents prior to Dandalayya, though not exactly the same.
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Isn’t Nasser the one who tells Rana that Prabhas1 needs to be killed (and not Rana)? That is how it has always been happening – Nasser does the suggesting bit and Rana takes over from there.
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Makes sense to me! I don’t remember this bit that well at all. In the bit after next, when Rana finally shows up, I’ll be talking more about the patterns he falls into and how he never really reveals his feelings.
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About the Palm Tree Sling shot; silly yes, but remember when Kattapa says “you must think like your father” and SPOILER ALERT…
Prabhas2 uses the Palm Tree Sling Shot to get his men into the City!
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Goes to show that, while in the womb, he was probably listening very carefully to his father creating all those engineering marvels ☺️
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Exactly! The water wheel is looking back to something he learned on his travels, and the slightshot is looking forward to something his son will use in the future.
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Reblogged this on lostinthought727.
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