HIMANSHU GURU, OP
The epic film’s set was a set piece, thanks to the efforts of skilled technicians
One of the basic elements that brought super success to the multi-lingual magnum opus and the country’s biggest blockbuster film ‘Bahubali’ was its set. After the film’s release in theatres many true stories and rumours crept up in mainstream as well as social media on the set and film fans eagerly awaited to witness the set. Recently, the same has been opened for public viewing for a short period to continue till October 29, as per the studio authorities of Ramoji Film City. Sunday POST chatted with visitors and authorities of the studio to register their reactions after witnessing the legendary set.
“Earlier too I had visited Ramoji Film City, but when I came to know about the opening of the set of ‘Bahubali’ I visited the location in Hyderabad along with my family,” said Arati Mishra from Jeypore.
“It was really awesome to witness the magnificent sets that included the spectacular Mahismati Kingdom of the fiction. In Jeypore many people are fans of South Indian films as well as actors. Earlier too I have seen many films of Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Sathyaraj. But I was never impressed so much. So, obviously it was the periodic presentation of the film that mesmerised people like me. And especially the sets were like never before. Thus, when I visited the sets again I felt like I watched the film over again,” she added.
“The sets of the iconic film were kept as a closely guarded secret during its long shooting years. But now it is open for public viewing. People can now unravel the mystery behind the epic story of the warring brothers. It’s a special treat for the tourists and, of course, for a limited period. They can explore the mythical world of Bahubali with set properties, and mind-blowing exhibits and artefacts, larger-than-life imagery and the magic of make-belief at Ramoji Film City,” said Abhikendu Gupta, General Manager – Tourism, Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad.
“To add flavour to the taste of the tourists we have also launched a 39-day festive extravaganza that started September 21 and will continue till October 29. The festive celebration will be infused with rich splendour, the finest amusement options, carnival parade, special entertainment and the magic of cinema as they will be treated with Bollywood dance shows, pulsating Punjabi dhol, bhangra dance and dandiya,” he added.
According to Oriya film actor Ravi Kumar, the set he witnessed at RFC was gigantic and first of its kind in the history of Indian films. Besides being an actor, mimicry artist and comedian, Ravi is also an expert fine artist. He has even worked as an assistant art designer in the Satish Kaushik directed Hindi film ‘Gang of Ghosts’. He said, “I have worked in a Bollywood film as an assistant set designer and thus know how difficult is to erect a perfect and alluring film set. So, when I witnessed the gigantic set of ‘Bahubali’ in Hyderabad, I was literally shocked. Another important thing is that if the set is just used in the film as a background it requires comparatively less effort, but if the set becomes the platform of actions in a film you need to make it real strong so that it should not split during the shoot. We can see in ‘Bahubali’ that most of the shots were taken on the set. The experience of witnessing the film’s set was truly thrilling.”
“I am a big fan of the songs of ‘Bahubali’,” said Oriya music director Agniraj Kishor. “Many Oriya films are shot in Ramoji Film City. The music composer had recently visited the studio with regard for his new Oriya film. Asked about his experience of witnessing the sets of ‘Bahubali’, he said: “The set of the blockbuster was truly spectacular. When the film was in the theatres people discussed about the hi-tech VFX works in it. These technical additions can be great only if the basic shots (on which the VFX works are created) are perfect. And perfection of these shots mostly depends on the set and costumes as well as the actors. After seeing the set I was amazed to find that the same was a really rich piece of work which could be immensely explored. And the same has been abundantly done in the film. Films about kings, queens and war have been made earlier but the way the same topic was presented in ‘Bahubali’ was excellent. And I must thank the creators and preservers of this legendary set thanks to whose effort now public are finding them within the imaginary story of the film.”
