HYDERABAD:The Baahubali frenzy peaked Friday as SS Rajamouli’s much-hyped magnum opus finally hit the screens. If the buzzword on Thursday was getting tickets for the first show, everybody now wants to know if the film is up to the hype.
From whistling college kids and middle-aged women to movie buffs — everybody stepped out to watch the film and while some of them praised it to the skies, others were left disappointed with its ‘abrupt’ climax.
Meanwhile, the film continued to hit the headlines for the wrong reasons as several were arrested for black marketing.
A Special Operations Team of Cyberabad Police raided 16 theatres in the city and seized 3,314 tickets and Rs 1,43,840 cash. Some theatres that were raided include Vishwanath in KPBH, Mahalakshmi in Chaitanyapuri and Shah in Jeedimetla, among others. All theatre operators were arrested by the SOT.
Security was airtight on Friday as a large number of crowds gathered outside cinemas across Hyderabad. Even those without a ticket, lined up outside in an attempt to somehow gate-crash.
Security teams kept a close watch to prevent any untoward incidents. Prasads multiplex sold more than 12,000 tickets for Baahubali on the first day itself.
With 30 shows on six screens, including the IMAX screen, Prasads multiplex has the capacity to accommodate 2,358 per show.
No film in recent times has generated as much hype and expectations as Baahubali, which was touted as India’s most expensive film. While director SS Rajamouli manages to make the film a visual treat, the audience walked out of cinemas wanting more.
Ajay Reddy, an avid movie buff, said, “No doubt the film has been made on a large-scale and there are plenty of positives. But I stood in the line for three hours and I definitely expected more.”
Agreeing Shweta, who managed to watch the first show on Friday, added, “considering the amount of hype the film generated, it certainly doesn’t live up to its billing. The war sequences lack emotion and the climax is abrupt.”
Some fans, however, were a bit more optimistic.
“Forget the hype and look at it from an artistic point of view. Baahubali is a work of art, a visual masterpiece. Yes, the end was a bit abrupt but that’s because there is a sequel. Hopefully Baahubali part two will be bigger and better,” remarked Pawan, a film enthusiast.