Less sadly isn’t more in “Baahubali: The Epic”, a newly remastered and re-edited re-release of the two-part action-fantasy that propelled co-writer/director SS Rajamouli (“RRR”) to the next level of international crossover fame. This new version of “Baahubali” jams together two movies and shaves off 80+ minutes of what was originally a combined five-hour runtime. That may seem like a fair trade given the opportunity to rewatch Rajamouli’s frequently thrilling maximalist spectacle on a big screen. Unfortunately, while the back half of “Baahubali: The Epic” mostly preserves the rhythm and asides of the original “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,” the missing footage only winds up diminishing Rajamouli’s sprawling, episodic narrative.
Most of the scenes that were cut from “Baahubali: The Epic” help to establish the character of Amarendra Baahubali (Prabhas), a beloved ruler of the Mahishmathi kingdom whose death is retold as a legend over the course of two movies. The movie’s story within the story framing device is mostly forgotten until much later on, when Baahubali’s 25-year-old son Mahendra (also Prabhas) sets out to avenge his dad by taking on his jealous cousin Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) and his bitter uncle Bijjaladeva (Nassar).
Kattappa’s role in both Mahendra and Aamarendra’s stories now makes less sense, especially given the omission of a few scenes that establish a conceit that Bhallaladeva’s mother, the noble but inconstant Queen Sivagami (Ramya Krishna), introduces later on: “Only when the future king steps outside the palace walls can he understand the trials of his people.”
Then again, re-releasing the “Baahubali” movies as a shorter single movie essentially reduces what was a sprawling double album to an oversized best-of compilation. “Baahubali: The Epic” isn’t bad, in that sense, and its calling card scenes remain as viscerally impressive as before. It’s also disappointing to see Rajamouli clip his own wings for the sake of flattering his relatively enhanced post-“RRR” following.
You may prefer a relatively sober drama that omits certain lighter-hearted scenes, especially if you, like me, cringe at the memory of the establishing scene where Mahendra romances Avanthika by giving her an unsolicited makeover. But even that scene helps to establish a parallel between father and son, suggesting that both are “innocent” at heart, as Bijjaladeva says later on.
You also lose something essential by removing the payoff to a lightly comic pair of scenes involving Devasena’s inexperienced and overweening brother-in-law Prince Varma (Subbaraju), who tries in vain to make like Amarendra and chop a tree stump in two. Spending less time with Varma may seem like an attractive prospect in such a long movie, but it also makes his bigger scenes seem less meaningful. He’s less of a character now and more of a type.