'Baahubali is successful because it entertains a five-year-old as well as a 75-year-old'

Rohan Sippy writes exclusively for IndiaToday.in about why Baahubali is a film par excellence and the lessons Bollywood should take from SS Rajamouli's epic.

I have enjoyed the increasing diversity of Hindi cinema lately, but as a father, I also realize I can't take my young daughter to see most of these films. That's the biggest universe Hindi cinema is missing out on, which was its staple audience till very recently - the family. With Baahubali, SS Rajamouli had made what Hollywood calls a four quadrant film - catering to the young, old, male and female audiences. A big part of its success is that it engages as a communal experience, entertaining a five-year-old as well as a 75-year-old.

Ticket sales for Hindi cinema went down 11 percent in 2016 and there's hardly a murmur here; the only response seems to be hiking ticket prices. Compared to the regional cinema, we are far more influenced by the West, and the need to belong there. Our focus is more western and urban. In the South, I don't think they have ever left their roots - addressing a large family audience which buys cheaper movie tickets but fills bigger halls. Markets like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh cannot rely on a big urban audience alone.

Projects like Baahubali are driven by the madness, passion, and insomnia of phenomenal storytellers who recognize the value of universality and timelessness. The Baahubali films are not going to be dated because they are set in a fantastical world. Because we have grown up on Amar Chitra Katha stories of king and queens and revenge and redemption, the film feels red-blooded and isn't alien in any way. In a sense, it is an Indian film which fits in the Marvel and DC action entertainer universe that's flourishing in Hollywood. Part One had almost a video game treatment - at each stage, you define a clear goal, there is an obstacle, and then you play it out - and the young audience likes that. To include a 45-minute plus long battle sequence in a script is unprecedented enough, but it's also about getting the execution right. How do you get several hundred fighters, all Indians, with the right physique and skills to pull off that action? I remember dad's [Ramesh Sippy] Sholay had horse stunts, and other unprecedented action, which made you go "How did you do it?" Sholay triggered decades of action which filmmakers both here and in South took inspiration from.