The first half breezes through, but post interval proceedings hang; in tandem with the hangdog expression worn by the hero. Arjun is sincere, but seems too urban for an ideal `Bihari’ fit. And Shraddha, who looks her loveliest here, lacks gravitas.

The brooding palette of shadow and light that has been the trademark of this franchise is retained, as is the Govinda chant that works as a terrific background score. The Ganesh-aarti rendered by Bachchan is spellbinding; the iconic actor is also in top form, mesmerizing you with his grey shades and grey irises. For his legion of fans, this one is an important outing. Amit, Manoj, Jackie and Ronit lend weightage. However, the actresses–Yami, Supriya and Rohini are short-changed.

Indian cinephiles must salute Rajamouli for his vision and ambition. He once again gives us our Benhur and Ten Commandments experience rolled into one. Of course it is CGI and VFX that grab you in your seat, but Baahubali also takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. The romance between Devasena and Amarendra has the Titanic fervour. While the performances of the lead cast are all believable, it is Peter Hein’s action—with Baahubali doing the Van Damme split and some sweeps that set your spirits soaring.

Raveena is sincere as the victim who sullies her hands to get justice. But, the amount of bloodshed, leaves you asking, what is worse. Are the images of rape gorier, or is the bloodshed of the perpetrators of the crime, grosser?

The Holi number is peppy with striking visuals. Otherwise having the 11 women in one frame becomes nothing but a screech-fest. Having Vidya in a film is an asset though. She is an audacious actor, who merits an extra half star for her ability to shoulder a film.

Taapsee delivers some knockout punches and is sincere enough. Manoj is brilliant, though he has just dialogue-baazi and no action to support him. As for Akshay, he is happy to lend his superstar-presence and bask in the girl power. So go ahead and salute his spirit.

In his attempt to pack in too much on war, love and deceit, the maker ends up with some haphazard division of war scenes versus love games, leaving the viewer muddled.

As far as the viewer goes, the story dates back to the 60s, but when you catch the tributes paid to the the real Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson during the credit roll, you know that this story of triumph needed to be told, right here, right now.

Akshay changes shades from crooked to straight, like a chameleon. In top-form, he puts up a perfect display of a street-smart lawyer who hasn’t read legal tomes but who has instead picked up tips from courtroom corridors to become Jolly LLB. Huma and Annu are also compelling enough. It is the fine display of histrionics by all these refined actors, which makes the movie, worth seeing.

Technically the film is adept, Thanks to with masters like Sudeep Chatterjee (camera) and Resul Pookutty(sound). However Rajesh Roshan’s yesteryear hits—saara zamana and dil kya karen in their remixed avatars are pale imitations of their original versions.