Baahubali 2: The Conclusion

The following is the credited cast:[9]

• Prabhas as Amarendra Baahubali (father), the adoptive heir to the throne of Mahishmati (Telugu)/ Magizhmathi (Tamil) and a respected prince by the people for his compassion and nobility; and Mahendra Baahubali "Sivudu" (Telugu) / "Sivu" (Tamil) (son), Amarendra's son to Devasena who was born during his father's death and grows up to meet the rebel alliance that is combating Bhallaladeva.
• Rana Daggubati as Bhallaladeva (Telugu) / Palvaalthevan (Tamil), Amarendra's biological cousin and adoptive older brother who was extremely jealous of his popularity, and has plotted to erase his right to the throne since childhood. Unlike Baahubali he cares little for his people and is shown to enslave his subjects, and he frames his own assassination to get Kattappa to kill Baahubali.
• Anushka Shetty as Devasena (Telugu) / Devasenai (Tamil), the younger sister of the king of Kuntala, who marries Baahubali. Her inclusion in the royal family and calling out Sivagami's and Bhallaladeva's law leads to civil conflict in the kingdom and their exile
• Tamannaah as Avanthika, a young and powerful rebel warrior whom Mahendra falls in love with. She helps him take the kingdom back and they get married.
• Ramya Krishna as Sivagami, Bhallaladeva's mother and Bijaladeva's wife, and a former subject of the kingdom who rises to become queen. She has one of the highest authorities in the kingdom and is a skilled combatant. She is nearly murdered by her own son as she tries to smuggle Mahendra out of the kingdom.
• Sathyaraj as Kattappa, a sibling figure to Sivagami and is called an uncle to Bhallaladeva and Amarendra. He's a member of a lineage of incredibly skilled warriors who serve the royal family like servants, but he also authorizes the kingdom's military.
• Nassar as Bijjaladeva (Telugu) / Pingalathevan (Tamil), the deranged father of Bhallaladeva and wife of Sivagami, he has a broken hand from battle and just like his son he believes in exploiting his subjects and being oppressive. Because of this he was never formally granted control of the kingdom. His brother Vikramadeva is the biological father of Amarendra Baahubali.
• Subbaraju as Kumara Varma, a relative of Devasena who is competitive against her and is a cowardly warrior, but is motivated by Amarendra to stand up to the Pindari invasion on Kuntala. He is killed by Bijaladeva in an elaborate trap to frame Baahubali for treason.

• Rakesh Varre as Sethupathi, a friend of Bhallaladeva who takes the role of army commander after Baahubali is resigned, he is beheaded by Baahubali when he finds out that Sethupati touched his wife vulgarly.
• Meka Ramakrishna as Jaya Varma, Devasena's brother and the former king of Kuntala. He's killed by Bhallaladeva during the final battle.
• Charandeep Surneni as Inkoshi's brother,[10] who takes role of the chief of the Kalakeyas. He is killed by Baahubali.
• Rohini as Sanga,[11] Mahendra's adoptive mother.
• Prudhvi Raj as the Prime Minister of Kunthala kingdom
• Madhusudhan Rao as the messenger from Mahishmathi Kingdom
• Shatru as the leader of the Pindari tribe, which is a tribe of plunderers and raiders. They lay siege to Kuntala and Amarendra kills the leader and drowns the rest of the army.
• Ajay Ghosh as a dacoit

Prabhas was cast as main lead of the film. Anushka Shetty was cast as the lead actress of the film as she was also a part of Mirchi (2013).[23] She coincidentally became the first heroine Rajamouli repeated in his films and thus made her schedules full for 2013 and 2014.[24] Rana Daggubati was cast as the antagonist of the film and coincidentally he was also a part of Rudhramadevi.[25] Sathyaraj signed the film.[26]

In April 2013, Adivi Sesh was cast for a crucial role in the film as Rajamouli was impressed by his work in Panjaa (2011).[27] Actress Ramya Krishna was chosen to play the crucial role in the film as "Rajamatha" in August 2013.[28] Actor Nassar was selected to play a supporting role.[28] Charandeep was selected to play the brother of the film's chief villain.[29] On 20 December 2013 a press release stated that Tamannaah will be starring in the film playing the role of "Avanthika".[30] Meka Ramakrishna was picked for the head of the Kuntala guerillas.

Rana Daggubati was said to be playing the role of Prabhas' brother and he too underwent a lot of physical transformation satisfying the role he was assigned to play in the film.[25] He also underwent training in Martial arts under the supervision of a Vietnamese trainer, Tuan.[31] Sathyaraj has a Tonsured look for his role in the film.[32] Sudeep said that he would play the role of a weapons trader Aslam Khan in this film.[33] In the end of October 2013, Rana appeared at a fashion show with a beefed up body which, according to him, was a part of his look in the film.[34] In mid-May 2014, reports emerged that Anushka would play a pregnant woman for a few sequences in the second part of the film.[35]

At the same time, Prabhas posted on his Facebook page that he underwent minor shoulder surgery and would join the film's sets in a span of a month.[36] On 1 June 2014, Prabhas and Rana's trainer Lakshman Reddy, said that Prabhas started his training 8 months before the commencement of shooting and after two years, both of them weighed nearly 100 kilos each. He also added that Prabhas has two attires with a heavy, bulky body for Baahubali's role and a lean physique for the second role.[37] For his look, Prabhas met WWE superstars like The Undertaker in February 2014 and interacted with them about their daily regimen and workouts.[38]

Prabhas had equipment costing ₹15 million shipped to his home, where he built a personal gym. His breakfast included 40 half-boiled egg whites blended and added with protein powder.[38] In mid-June 2014, regarding her role in the film, Tamannaah said that she would be playing the role of a warrior princess named Avanthika and her appearance in the film is completely different when compared to her past films.[39][40] Before joining the film's shoot, Tamannaah did costume trials for the film which she confirmed in her micro-blogging page stating "I am very excited to get on to the set of Baahubali. I did some dress trials today and my look in this movie will be totally new. I have never been seen in such sort of a look till now. It will be a new role for me."[41] Rajamouli called Tamannaah and her characterisation as a "value addition" to the movie.[42] She stated that she plays Avanthika, and had a special training and diet regime.[43] The film introduced a new language called Kiliki.[44]

On 22 November 2016, a 2-minute war sequence from the film was leaked and posted on Facebook and Twitter.[45] The following day, the police arrested a video editor for stealing and uploading the scenes.[46][45] The Deccan Chronicle, noticing the lack of punishment, felt the leak was a publicity stunt.[47] Following this, a 9-minute war sequence supposedly from the climax was leaked. The video lacked VFX.[45]

From left to right: Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, S.S.Rajamouli at the first look launch of Baahubali: The Conclusion in 2016

An initial limited release of The Conclusion took place in most Gulf countries, including the UAE, on 27 April 2017.[70] In India, the film was released on 28 April.[71] The film was screened at the British Film Institute.[72] It was also premiered at the 39th Moscow International Film Festival.[73][74] The film was also showcased at the 49th International Film Festival of India in the "Indian Panorama" section.[75] According to Umair Sandhu, a member of the UAE censor board, The Conclusion received a standing ovation from the board during its review.[76] On 22 April, the Telugu version of The Conclusion was reviewed by the Indian Censor Board and given an U/A rating with minor cuts.[77] The Japanese Censor Board gave a rating of G with no cuts.[78] The Central Board of Film Censors, Pakistan, cleared the film with an "all clear" status and zero cuts.[79] In Singapore, the film received an 'A' (adult) certificate, which an Indiatimes report attributes to the portrayal of violent scenes.[80]

The Conclusion was released across more than 9,000 plus screens worldwide- 6500 screens in India alone, breaking the record for the widest Indian film release. It released in conventional 2D as well as in IMAX format.[81][82][83][84] This made The Conclusion the third Indian film to release in IMAX, following Dhoom 3 and Bang Bang!.[85] It was released in Telugu and Tamil along with dubbed versions in Hindi and Malayalam.[86] In Kerala, the film was released across 395 screens.[87] The film was released in 1,100 screens in the United States, and 150 screens in Canada.[88] The Hindi version was released in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji Islands, while the Tamil version was released in Malaysia.[88] In Pakistan, the Hindi version was released in over 100 screens.[79] The first Telugu film to be released in 4K High Definition format, close to 200 screens were upgraded to 4K projectors before the release date of the film.[89] In Japan, the film was later dubbed into Japanese and will be released on 29 December.[90] Despite the various measures taken, pirated versions of The Conclusion were available on the Internet within hours of the film's release.[91] The film was dubbed in Russian and released in Russia and neighboring territories on 11 January 2018.[92] It was censored for release in China in March 2018 and was released in Chinese on 4 May 2018.[93][94]

The Conclusion's poster featuring Rana Daggubati

A 25-member marketing team at Arka was responsible for marketing The Conclusion.[95] On 30 September 2016, the logo of Baahubali 2 was revealed along with the tagline 'Why Kattappa Killed Baahubali'.[96] On 22 October 2016, the first look poster of the film was released on the birthday of Prabhas.[97] The poster, according to CNN-News18, features Prabhas flexing his muscles, holding a two edged sword and a chain in either of his hands,[97] while The Hindu notices the presence of Amarendra Baahubali in the background.[98] Rana Daggubati's first look as Bhallaladeva was further revealed on his birthday.[99] According to The Indian Express, the poster features Rana Daggubati as Bhallaladeva with "a vicious glare, salt-and-pepper hair with a man bun, cladding a bullish armour and holding a humongous retractable mace."[99] A virtual reality teaser was also released.[100] On 26 January 2017, the first look poster of Anushka Shetty as Devasena was released.[101] The trailer of the film was released on 17 March 2017.[102]

The Conclusion was also promoted extensively on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.[95][103] Upon being asked about the film's marketing, Yarlagadda said, "The idea was to engage with different demographics, who are interested in different things. If you are into technology, then Baahubali VR becomes a driving factor for you to watch the film; if you are into graphic novels and gaming, we had plans to address those needs too."[95] A graphic novel titled Baahubali – The Battle of the Bold was released digitally on 28 February 2017.[104] Rajamouli approached Anand Neelakantan to write a series subtitled Before the Beginning.[105] The first novel in the series, titled The Rise of Sivagami, was released on 7 March 2017.[106][107] A clothing line based on the film was revealed on 7 April at a fashion show, with the cast including Rana Daggubati and Tamanaah attending it.[108] The makers further collaborated with Moonfrog Labs to create an online multiplayer game titled Baahubali – The Game, which published on 28 April 2017.[109] In a review for the game, Srivathsan Nadadhur of The Hindu writes, "while it seems a little familiar, it is good fun as long as it lasts."[110] The cast arrived in Dubai to inaugurate the film's release in a promotional event on 25 April 2017.[111]

It was rumoured that Great India Films had brought the US distribution rights of The Conclusion. However, these rumours were refuted by Great India Films.[112] Cinestaan AA Distributors distributed the Hindi version in US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.[113] Srinivasan of Says S Pictures distributed the film in North Arcot and South Arcot in Tamil Nadu.[114] The Hindi version was distributed in North India by Anil Thadani's AA Films and presented by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.[115] In Malaysia, the film was distributed by MSK Film Production and Antenna Entertainments.[116] Amjad Rasheed distributed the film in Pakistan.[117] Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam broadcasting rights were brought by Star India for ₹280 million.[118] Sony acquired the satellite rights for the Hindi version for ₹500 million.[118] The Conclusion set a record collection of ₹5 billion before the release of the film through satellite and theatrical rights.[119][120] The Telugu version of the film was insured against financial loss by Future Generali for ₹2 billion.[121][122] Netflix brought the rights of The Conclusion for ₹255 million.[123]

About one million tickets were sold within 24 hours of the advance booking.[124] Tickets were sold out until 2 May.[125] Later, tickets for the first week were sold out.[126] The sale rate was the highest ever in India, beating the record held by Dangal.[127] Booking sites of multiplex players crashed down due to high traffic.[128] In UAE, the film sold more than hundred thousand tickets before release, the highest ever for an Indian film, breaking the record held by Fast and Furious bookings.[128] BookMyShow and PayTM offered discounts on The Conclusion tickets.[69] At the end of its theatrical run in India The Conclusion had sold an estimated 100 million tickets, the highest estimated footfall for any film in India in decades;[129] Box Office India notes that the estimated footfalls of Mother India (1957), Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Sholay (1975) could be more than that of The Conclusion.[130]

The morning shows of The Conclusion in several cinema theatres across Tamil Nadu were halted.[131] The reason being was that the rights to distribute the film The Conclusion in Tamil, which was initially sold by Arka Media Works to K Productions, was resold by the latter to Sri Green Productions. Sri Green Productions was unable to pay the full amount leading to problems in the film's distribution as Sri Green had already made deals with local distributors.[132][133] Arka Media Works had to intervene to reslove the financial issues and had to bear the full cost for the smooth release of the film.[134] Scenes from The Conclusion were released online 2 days before the film's release.[135] Activists in Karnataka threatened to stall the film's release in their state due to a statement made by Sathyaraj concerning the Cauvery river, unless the actor apologized. Sathyaraj later apologized for hurting the sentiments of the activists.[136] The entertainment tax to be paid on each ticket was not paid, due to the sale of unaccounted tickets.[137]

The Conclusion grossed ₹1.526 billion in India on the first day of its release.[138] In 3 days, the film grossed ₹3.91 billion, setting the record for the highest opening weekend gross in India.[139] It became the highest-grossing film in India grossing ₹5.65 billion in 5 days.[158] Baahubali 2: The Conclusion crossed ₹10 billion nett. mark in India in all languages in 30 days.[159] The film grossed ₹3.279 billion in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,[149] ₹1.526 billion in Tamil Nadu, ₹1.29 billion in Karnataka and ₹750 million in Kerala.[149] In the rest of India The Conclusion grossed about ₹7.324 billion taking the film's total gross in India to ₹14.169 billion which is the highest for a film in India.[149] Baahubali 2: The Conclusion netted ₹11.156 billion in India[160] and its distributor share was ₹6.6135 billion.[149]

The Conclusion grossed ₹600 million overseas[138] on the first day of its release, the highest opening for an Indian film surpassing Kabali.[138] In 3 days, the film collected ₹1.35 billion from the overseas market with ₹640 million coming from the US alone, setting the humongous record for 3 day collection.[139] The Conclusion grossed US$81 million, third on the global box office list, during the opening weekend, US$10.1 million in the United States alone, the highest-ever opening for an Indian film in the US.[161][162] On 3 May 2017, The Conclusion became the highest grossing Indian film at the US box office with US$12.5 million, surpassing Dangal's gross of US$12.3 million.[163][164][165]

It became the first Indian film to exceed $11.1 million in takings in Middle-East-GCC-Gulf, surpassing Bajrangi Bhaijaan.[153] As of 14 May 2017, the film had grossed US$20,186,659 in the United States.[151]

In China, Baahubali 2 made a number-three debut at the box office (behind domestic Chinese films Us and Them and A or B) with an opening-day gross of US$2.41 million ,[166] surpassing the lifetime gross of Baahubali: The Beginning (US$1.8 million).[167] Baahubali 2 grossed US$7.67 million in its opening weekend.[168]

In Japan, the film grossed US$1.3 million by April 2018, becoming the third highest-grossing Indian film there, after Rajnikanth's Tamil film Muthu (1995) and Aamir Khan's Bollywood film 3 Idiots (2009).[169] Baahubali 2 later grossed ¥150 million by May 2018,[170] and has grossed ¥250 million as of September 2018.[156]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 90% based on 20 reviews, with a rating average of 7.99/10, as of 28 May 2019.[171]

The film received positive reviews and response from both the critics and audience.[172] Rachit Gupta from Filmfare gave the film a rating of 4.5/5, stating, "SS Rajamouli's much-awaited sequel is the kind of movie Indian cinema should make regularly. It's the kind of sweeping magnum opus that Indian mythos and culture deserve. It's the biggest film we have ever made and barring a few minor glitches in CGI, this film is possibly the greatest spectacle you'll see on a big screen, in your life."[173] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo from The Hindu stated, "For the most part, The Conclusion doesn't let us take our eyes off the screen. It's designed to be a cinematic celebration, one that deserves to be watched on the largest screen possible".[174] Anupama Subramanian of the Deccan Chronicle gave the film a 3.5/5, praising the acting of the stars while complaining about "the lack of a solid plot' and called the ending "predictable."[175]

Vishnuprasad Pillai of Asianet News gave a negative review, writing that the film "offers nothing new... The writing from KV Vijayendra Prasad fails inspire or to do justice to an epic of such scale," adding that "the dialogues at times are downright corny and plot developments cringe-worthy."[176] Dipanjan Sinha of Hindustan Times gave the film a rating of 3/5 stars, praising the film's cinematography and special effects, but found faults with some of the female characters. Sinha stated, "Devasena ... starts off as an ace warrior only to be tamed into someone who has to be protected."[177] Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express rated the film 2/5 stars, noting problems with pacing and sound, writing, "The background music is relentless, and the pitch at which the declamatory dialogues are delivered is deafening: there were times I felt like closing my ears."[178] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rates the film 4.5 out of 5 and praises the performance of the cast, writing, "It's a feast for moviegoers and has the trappings to make all generations its fan."[179]

Meena Iyer from The Times of India rated it 4/5, writing: "Just savor it. It is a visual extravaganza that India must feast on ... Prabhas is terrific as father and son. Of course, it is CGI and VFX that grab you in your seat."[180] Hemanth Kumar from Firstpost called it "Rajamouli's epic drama" and rated it 4/5.[181] Sukanya Verma from Rediff rated the film 3.5/5, writing the film, "continues its tradition of grandiloquence and magnitude... high drama, more than spectacle, is what lends its riveting tale of revenge and glory all its wallop and wizardry."[182] She also praised the film's cast and director stating, "Equipped with a cast that's not only in tune with Rajamouli's vision but knows exactly where to hold back and when to give their all adds to Baahubali's might."[182]

It was further featured in Rotten Tomatoes' list of Best Off the Radar Films of 2017, in which Tim Ryan writes, "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion plays like a shotgun wedding between Ben Hur and Kung Fu Hustle, seasoned with bits of Shakespeare, Kurosawa, and Buster Keaton," opining, "it's a blockbuster that's both gigantic and lighter than air."[183] Mike McCahill of The Guardian gave a 4/5 rating and called it "a jaw-dropping blockbuster that combines nimble action with genuine heart". He also stated, "This production's triumph is the room it's granted Rajamouli to head into the fields and dream up endlessly expressive ways to frame bodies in motion. Of the many sequences here primed to cut through jadedness, perhaps the most wondrous is that which finds Baahu guiding Deva mid-battle to shoot three arrows simultaneously – a set piece that speaks both to a love of action, and love in action. The budget's big, the muscle considerable, but they're nothing compared with Baahubali's heart."[184]

Manjusha Radhakrishnan of Gulf News rates the film 3.5 out of 5 and writes, "This is a sweeping visual spectacle filled with epic battle scenes, clashes between warring troops from Indian mythology and elephants on a rampage," but further added, "There were times in the second half where you felt the computer-generated graphics took over the story. But all this is new and exotic for Indian cinema."[185] Shilpa Jamkhandikar of Reuters writes, "It may not up the ante from the last film, but it doesn't let up on the pace either. For an Indian film, that is no mean feat."[186] J Hurtado of ScreenAnarchy writes, "It's a bit daunting because it does begin in media res immediately following the complex actions of the first film, but astute viewers will put together the pieces soon enough."[187] Kabita Maharana of International Business Times gave a rating of 4 out of 5 and writes, "From the very first scene, the film is a visual extravaganza. Every frame is meticulously captured by SS Rajamouli and his team. This is the first Indian film hailed for excelling in visual effects."[188]

Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave the film a 4/4 rating and writes the film "is everything I want but rarely get from superhero and big-budget fantasy movie" adding "the fight scenes... are so creative that they make even the most frequently abused creative shortcuts seem novel, everything from computer-generated imagery (CGI) to speed-ramping... You care what happens to the cast as they, aided by wires, hurl volleys of arrows at disposable minions and CGI animals."[189] Anita Iyer from Khaleej Times rates the film 3.5 out of 5 and writes, "What stands out in the film is the powerful star cast. Enough has been said already about the acting prowess of Prabhas but he has an equally supportive cast to hold the film. Ramya Krishna as Sivagami, is known for her impressive acting talent and proves her mettle here. Another veteran, Sathyaraj as Katappa excels and you develop a camaraderie with him. Rana Daggubati is aptly spiteful in his portrayal of the villain... Nassar, as his father, is busy spewing venom but his role could have been meatier."[190]

The Conclusion won the Telstra People's Choice Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, sharing the prize with Dangal.[191] Tamannaah Bhatia and K.V. Vijayendra Prasad won the Global Indian Impact Icon Award for The Conclusion at NRI of the Year Awards.[192][193] The CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Awards (2017) for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment was given to Team Baahubali.[194][195] Prabhas, Shetty, Keeravani, Rajamouli were nominated for Favorite Hero Of The Year, Favorite Heroine of the Year, Favorite Music Director and Favourite Director respectively, while Saahore Baahubali and the film were nominated for Favourite Song and Favourite Film at the Zee Telugu Golden Awards.[196] The Conclusion won the Saturn Award for Best International Film at the 44th Saturn Awards.[197] At the 65th National Film Awards, it won in three categories: Best Stunt Choreography, Best Special Effects and Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.[198] The Conclusion also received nominations in every category (except Best Male Playback Singer – Telugu) at the 65th Filmfare Awards South.[199] It also won in all categories, except for Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Playback Singer – Female. It got two nominations at the 10th Mirchi Music Awards.[200]