Critical response India Deepanjana Pal of
Firstpost called it "Rajamouli's tour de force", terming it as "elaborate, well-choreographed and [having] some breathtaking moments."
Prabhas and
Daggubati are both in their elements as the warriors who approach warfare in two distinctive styles. The outcome of the battle is no surprise, but there are enough clever tactics and twists to keep the audience hooked. The biggest surprise, however, lies in the film's final shot, which gives you a glimpse into the sequel that will come out next year." Saibal Chatterjee of
NDTV India rated the film with three stars out of five and stated, "The spectacular universe that the film conjures up is filled with magic, but the larger-than-life characters that populate its extraordinary expanse do not belong to any known mythic landscape. To that extent,
Baahubali, driven by the titular superhero who pulls off mind-boggling feats both in love and in war, throws up many a surprise that isn't altogether meaningless." Shubhra Gupta of
The Indian Express praised the film: "Right from its opening frames,
Baahubali holds out many promises: of adventure and romance, love and betrayal, valour and weakness. And it delivers magnificently on each of them. This is full-tilt, fully-assured filmmaking of a very high order.
Baahubali is simply spectacular." In her review for
The Hindu, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo wrote, "The war formations that form a chunk of the latter portions of the film are the best we've seen in Indian cinema so far. These portions are spectacular and show the technical finesse of the cinematographer (K.K. Senthil Kumar) and the visual effects teams. The waterfall, the mystical forests and water bodies above the cliffs and the lead pair escaping an avalanche all add to the spectacle. Give into its magic, without drawing comparisons to Hollywood flicks." Sukanya Varma of
Rediff gave the film four out of five stars, calling it "mega, ingenious and envelope pushing!" Rachit Gupta of
Filmfare gave the film four stars (out of 5) and summarised, "
Baahubali is truly an epic experience. Had the story not been so jaded, this would've gone into the history books as an all-time classic. But that's not the case. It has its set of storytelling flaws, but even those are overshadowed by Rajamouli's ideas and execution. This is definitely worthy of being India's most expensive film. It's a definite movie watching experience." Suparna Sharma of
Deccan Chronicle praised the second half of the film, writing, "Rajamouli has reserved all the grander and grandstanding for later, after interval. That's when the film stands up and begins to strut like an epic." Suhani Singh of
India Today pointed out that the film is best enjoyed keeping logic at bay. She added, "SS Rajamouli and his team put up a fascinating wild, wild east adventure. It takes pluck to conceive a world like the one seen in
Baahubali and to pull it off on a level which is on par with the international standards. The almost 45-minute-long battle sequence at the end is not just one of the biggest climaxes, but also the action spectacle rarely seen in Indian cinema. And if Rajamouli can present another one like that in part 2, then he is on course to register his name in cinema's history books. We can't wait to revisit Mahishmati kingdom." Critical reception penned by Shubha Shetty Saha for
Mid-Day rates the film with four stars out of five, exclaiming, "While watching
Baahubali, you might have to periodically pick up your jaw off the floor. Because this is not merely a movie, it is an unbelievably thrilling fantasy ride." The review extends praising the aspects, "It is to the director's credit that every aspect of the film – action, mind-boggling set design and choreography – lives up to this epic film of gigantic scale. The choreography in the song that has Shiva disrobing Avantika to get her in touch with her feminine side, is an absolute gem."
International Critics praised the film for its direction, technical values, and the actors' performances. Lisa Tsering based on
The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The story has been told many times before – a child is born destined for greatness and as a man vanquishes the forces of evil – but in the confident hands of accomplished South Indian director S.S. Rajamouli the tale gets potent new life in
Baahubali: The Beginning." Allan Hunter, writing for
Screen Daily noted that "The broad brushstrokes storytelling and the director's over-fondness for slow-motion sequences are among the film's failings but this is still a rousing film, easily accessible epic. There's rarely a dull moment in
Baahubali: The Beginning, part one of a gung-ho, crowd-pleasing Telugu-language epic that has been shattering box-office records throughout India." Mike McCahill of
The Guardian rated the film four stars out of five, praising the film, "Rajamouli defers on the latter for now, but his skilful choreography of these elements shucks off any cynicism one might carry into Screen 1: wide-eyed and wondrous, his film could be a blockbuster reboot, or the first blockbuster ever made, a reinvigoration of archetypes that is always entertaining, and often thrilling, to behold." Suprateek Chatterjee of
The Huffington Post wrote, "However, all said and done,
Baahubali: The Beginning is a remarkable achievement. What Rajamouli has pulled off here, despite its flaws, is nothing short of a miracle, especially when you take into account India's notoriously risk-averse filmmaking environment and when the film ends on a tantalizing cliffhanger (paving the way for
Baahubali: The Conclusion, due to release next year), one can't help but applaud his singularly brave vision. As the cliché goes, a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step, but it doesn't really matter if that first step is shaky as long as it lands firmly and confidently."
Box office Baahubali: The Beginning collected from the United States on its first day. First weekend collections stood around worldwide from all its versions, the
biggest ever for an Indian film in India & the
fourth biggest ever for an Indian film worldwide. The film grossed around worldwide in the first week of its release. It became the first South Indian film to gross worldwide, reaching there in 9 days, and subsequently grossed worldwide in 15 days.
Baahubali: The Beginning netted 420.05 crore in India.
Firstpost later reported that the total collections stood at ₹650 crore .
Baahubali: The Beginning grossed in all languages in India alone, and became the
highest-grossing film in India, surpassing
PKs gross of from India. By the end of its 87-day run,
Bahubali collected 586.45 crore (US$79 million) worldwide in its initial theatrical run.
The Beginning opened to 100 percent occupancy in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and close to 70 percent occupancy in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. It grossed around on its first day of release in India from all four versions (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi). The Hindi version earned around nett which was the highest opening for any film dubbed into Hindi.
Baahubali grossed on the first day in India. The Hindi version grossed around nett in the first weekend. The Telugu version alone earned around nett in first weekend in India. The film, from all its versions, earned almost nett in its first weekend. It had the biggest opening weekend ever in India.
Baahubali: The Beginning grossed more than nett from all its versions in India in the first week. It added a further nett in its second weekend to take its total to around nett in ten days. The Hindi version grossed over nett in the Mumbai circuit. The film collected around in its first day from the international markets. The film opened on the ninth spot for its weekend, collecting around US$3.5 million with a per-screen average of $15,148. The film debuted in the ninth position for the US and Canadian box office collecting $4,630,000 for three days and $3,250,000 for the weekend of 10–12 July 2015.
Baahubali: The Beginning grossed £66,659 from its Telugu version in United Kingdom and Ireland and A$194,405 from its Tamil version in Australia in until its second weekend (17 – 19 July 2015). The film also grossed MYR 663,869 in Malaysia from its Tamil version. The film grossed on its opening weekend in China. It has grossed a total of (77.8 million) in the country. The film totally earned $10.94 million at the overseas box office. == Accolades ==