Sightlines · reception

How Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion was received

2017 · S. S. Rajamouli · Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion on Sightlines

The arc

It arrived as an event, not a film — the biggest opening in Indian cinema history, with theaters running 4 a.m. shows — and after RRR broke through globally in 2022, Western viewers came back to it as Rajamouli's first world-conquering epic rather than a regional curiosity.

What’s debated

Fans still argue over whether the wobbly CGI matters when the imagination is this maximal — and gently but firmly correct anyone who calls it Bollywood (it's Telugu cinema, and the distinction became a whole discourse).

Its footprint

"Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?" spent two years as India's most burning question — a cliffhanger meme so huge that this film's entire marketing campaign was essentially the promise of an answer, and #WKKB trended the moment it opened.

Where it stands

The gateway drug of Indian mass cinema for international Letterboxd — the 'start here' title before RRR sent everyone scrambling through Rajamouli's back catalog.

Did you know? It was the first Indian film ever to gross over ₹1,000 crore, and its U.S. opening was so big it briefly cracked the top three at the American box office — nearly unheard of for a non-English film.

Named by the director

• Braveheart (1995) — Rajamouli has repeatedly named it his favorite film and cited its battle staging and emotional sweep as a touchstone for his epics, including Baahubali.