‘Black Panther’ is merely a $200 million rendition of S.S. Rajamouli’s $70 million ‘Baahubali’ MARVEL

Last night I finally decided to book my ticket to catch what is being termed as Marvel’s ‘Best Standalone Superhero Movie’ till date - ‘Black Panther’. But, sadly it doesn’t match up to all the hype and frenzy around it - personally speaking!

Believe it or not! All I could see was the story of ‘Baahubali’ (The Beginning and The Conclusion) being retold in the land of Wakanda instead of Mahishmati. The story of two warring brothers to stake their claim of the throne. A loyal protector and server of the throne also being a common thread. And the giant waterfall which is the centerpiece of the narrative. All through the 135-minute run-time of ‘Black Panther’ the ‘Wakanda Forever’ promulgates were reminiscent of ‘Jai Mahishmati’ of ‘Baahubali’!

To put things into perspective, here is a closer look at why I stand by my claim!

[Spoiler Alert!]

Tale of Two Brothers

Much like the story of ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’, where two brothers (well technically it’s Nephew and Uncle given the reincarnation of Baahubali as Shivudu) are battling it out to stake claim of the throne for the kingdom of Mahishmati; ‘Black Panther’ too has two brothers involved in a ‘fight to the death’ to reign as king over the land of Wakanda.

While it took a reincarnation of Amarendra Baahubali as his son Shivudu to finally reclaim the throne; T'Challa too gets a ‘second life’ to return as Black Panther and defeat Killmonger to reign supreme over Wakanda.

And the underlying thematic setting of treachery and deceit is another parallel for both these stories.

The entire premise in both the stories is that of avenging what was wrong, amusingly in both cases the antagonist truly deserved the rightful claim to the throne. In the case of ‘Baahubali’ - Bhallaladeva should have been made king as per the clause set by Sivagami, whereas in ‘Black Panther’ Killmonger was of the royal blood descent and deserved a right to stake his claim on the throne and the title of being ‘Black Panther’.  

Still not satisfied… read on!

Okoye is Kattappa of Wakanda

Okoye’s character seems like the perfect feminine version of Kattappa (they even have the same hairstylist). When she says: “I serve the throne!” after Nakia asks her to choose between T’Chala and Erik Killmonger you simply can’t miss that as a straight-out comparison to the epitome of loyalty as we know it in moviedom - Kattappa.

And just like how Kattappa was a sounding board and protector to Amarendra Baahubali; Okoye is the same for T’Chala. She too shares lighter moments with him and remains loyal to the throne, just like Kattappa. The similarities are truly uncanny.

Still uncertain… go on!

The Waterfall

‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ will always be remembered for the magnificent waterfall which probably holds the entire narrative of the story-line together. And guess which other movie after Disney’s 'The Jungle Book' also thought of having a scenic waterfall incorporated in the story-line… Yes, ‘Black Panther’ it is!

Unlike ‘The Jungle Book’, which only had the waterfall for one sequence in the entire movie (for more like a WOW! moment) ‘Black Panther’ has gone ahead and given a symbolic importance to the waterfall in Wakanda traditions. It is the sacred battleground for warriors to challenge the reigning king or ‘Black Panther’ to take his place. While in ‘Baahubali’ the waterfall is the path for Shivudu to come to terms of his royal bloodline and eventually his destiny of being the King!

So, well there you have it!

At the end of the movie (the first Marvel Movie which I felt was too long, not even Civil War felt this long which holds the record at 147 minutes), I was only left thinking imagine what S.S. Rajamouli Garu could have delivered with a hefty $200 million production cost, whereas he made a two-part magnum opus war saga at a scanty budget of $70 million!