Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion is a Telugu epic action drama directed by S. S. Rajamouli, starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia. Released on 28 April 2017, it arrived carrying the weight of the biggest question in Indian pop culture — why did Kattappa kill Baahubali? — and it answered it in spectacular fashion. The film went on to become the first Indian movie to cross ₹1,000 crore at the worldwide box office, a record that redrew the map of what Indian cinema could earn.
Where the first film was about discovery, the sequel is about reckoning: the past finally told in full, and the son rising to finish what his father started. It is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and SonyLIV.
Plot
The film opens with Kattappa narrating the truth to Shivudu — now revealed as Mahendra Baahubali. Years earlier, Amarendra Baahubali, the chosen king of Mahishmati, fell in love with Devasena, the proud princess of Kuntala, and gave up the throne for her. Sivagami, bound by her word, crowned Bhallaladeva instead — a decision that poisoned the kingdom. Bhallaladeva, consumed by jealousy and manipulated by his scheming father Bijjaladeva, plotted Amarendra’s downfall, framing him as a traitor plotting against the throne.
The conspiracy tightens cruelly: Sivagami herself, deceived by false evidence, orders Amarendra’s execution. Kattappa, bound by his oath of loyalty to the throne, carries out the order he knows is unjust — the film’s devastating answer to its famous question. Devasena is taken captive, Sivagami meets a tragic end trying to save the infant Mahendra, and Bhallaladeva begins his twenty-five-year reign of fear.
In the present, Mahendra Baahubali raises an army of Mahishmati’s oppressed and storms the kingdom. The climactic battle between the two cousins — Mahendra fighting for his father’s name, Bhallaladeva defending a stolen throne — is one of the grandest action finales ever filmed in India, ending with Devasena herself delivering justice and Mahendra crowned king, with Avanthika as his queen.
Performance
Prabhas is magnificent as Amarendra Baahubali — this is really his film more than anyone else’s. As the noble king he brings a warmth and quiet authority that makes the tragedy land; you understand completely why an entire kingdom would love this man, which is exactly what makes his fall so painful. His scenes with Anushka Shetty have a playful, old-world romance that the first film never quite found room for.
Anushka Shetty is superb as Devasena — fierce, proud and unwilling to bend even in chains, she is the film’s moral spine. Rana Daggubati doubles down on Bhallaladeva’s menace, now older, crueller and more desperate, while Sathyaraj gives Kattappa the film’s most heartbreaking arc: a good man destroyed by his own loyalty. Ramya Krishnan and Nassar round out an ensemble with not a weak link in it.
Screenplay and Direction
Rajamouli was working with the rarest of luxuries — an audience already emotionally invested — and he spends that capital wisely. The film’s structure is bold: the entire first half is essentially the flashback, a full romantic tragedy, before the present-day war takes over. The Kuntala romance, the palace conspiracies, the slow tightening of the trap around Amarendra — it is all staged with the patience of a filmmaker who trusts his story.
The final war is the main event, and Rajamouli stages it like nothing Indian cinema had attempted: inventive tactics, clear geography, and emotional stakes in every beat. If the film has a flaw, it is that the present-day portions feel slightly rushed compared to the richly detailed past — but when the climax arrives, with Keeravani’s score thundering, none of that matters. Shot in Telugu and Tamil and released in five languages, it was also the first Telugu film to release in 4K.
Music
M. M. Keeravani outdoes even his own work on the first film. “Saahore Baahubali” became an anthem played at celebrations across the country, “Hamsa Naava” is ravishing, and the background score is simply monumental — the coronation theme alone is worth the price of admission. The music doesn’t accompany the film so much as carry it on its shoulders through the biggest moments.
The craft across the board is extraordinary. K. K. Senthil Kumar’s cinematography is richer and more painterly than the first film, Sabu Cyril’s production design makes Mahishmati feel like a real, breathing capital, and the visual effects — a huge step up — finally match Rajamouli’s imagination without apology.
Themes
The Conclusion is, at heart, a film about the cost of oaths and the weight of words given. Sivagami’s promise, Kattappa’s loyalty, Amarendra’s love — every tragedy in the story flows from someone honouring a vow. It asks an uncomfortable question: what is duty worth when it demands injustice? Kattappa’s answer, and his lifelong guilt, is the film’s true subject.
It is also a story about pride — Devasena’s refusal to submit, Bhallaladeva’s inability to accept being second, Amarendra’s quiet confidence in his own worth. The film suggests that dignity, not power, is what makes a king, and it makes that case with the full force of an epic.
Conclusion
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion is the rare sequel that surpasses its predecessor — bigger, more emotional, and more complete. Rajamouli answered the most hyped question in Indian cinema and somehow exceeded the hype, delivering a finale that grossed around ₹1,800 crore worldwide and proved that Indian audiences would turn out in historic numbers for a story told with conviction. It remains the gold standard of the Indian epic, and essential viewing.
Watch the official trailer: