Films through a gender lens: More power to Devasena in 'Baahubali 2'

Sweeping long tresses hardly stand in the way when Devasena literally tears her enemies to bits in the film Baahubali 2. While most of the audience has been enamoured with the Baahubali films because of the beautiful cinematography, stunning action sequences and powerful music, I had eyes only for Devasena (played by actress Anushka Shetty) in the second offering of this epic by director SS Rajamouli.

Some of the damage done by the harassment scene of Avantika (played by actress Tamannaah Bhatia​) in the film's first part, has been covered up a little by Devasena's unwavering stance on autonomy and consent. Devasena emphasizes that her agency to choose her own husband is a consequence of her Kshatriya caste, which in this case, gives her access to choices otherwise denied to women, further demonstrating to us how important the intersectionality of caste and gender is, when it comes to women's rights.

For a film like Baahubali 2, which has extensive national and international reach, to tackle issues of gender roles, consent, and female sexuality, is a big leap from Baahubali 1. The picturesque song 'Teri hai Devasena" is not just about the beautiful ship they choose to sail on, but also about how it is her fantasy, a woman yearning to touch her lover and express her sexual desires. Frankly, a welcome change from songs celebrating just the male gaze.

Devasena is a woman in control, one who knows what she wants and how she wants it. She is a woman unwilling to compromise her self respect to please the man she loves, or his mother.

Amarendra Baahubali's ability to stand for his wife's convictions is a refreshing change from the stories that float around on Whatsapp, about bechaara husbands caught between wife and mother. He applies logic instead of sentimentality while dealing with rifts between his family members and shows maturity and intelligence. For him, being a warrior is less about machoism, physical strength and weapons, and more about strategy.

However, some parts of the film do slip back into patriarchal themes, as is sometimes typical of films about kings and princes. Even before conception, Amarendra Baahubali (played by actor Prabhas) knows their child has to be a son to win Sivagami's affection. In fact, the whole cast goes about happily expecting a son as if having a daughter could not even be an option. Also, what induces our society to repeatedly compare men to Gods, sometimes subtly through songs about deities, or sometimes by drawing direct parallels between a King and a God's statue?

But Baahubali 2 does have redeeming scenes where Devasena and Amarendra Baahubali mirror each other's fighting skills. Devsena also leads a revolting army with fire in her eyes and in two separate scenes, Sivagami and Devasena march to their mission, with a fire cauldron on each of their heads, unflinching in the face of dangers in their path. The epic standoffs between Devasena and Sivagami, are some of the most electrifying sequences in the movie. Their mannerisms, their stance, their angst, are all breathtaking. 

The Baahubali franchise may have started out as all things macho, but the second film has definitely made an effort with regards to depicting strong female characters on screen. However, we do wish they had discussed something other than Baahubali. The film fails the Bechdel test in this aspect. The test requires:                                                          

Even though Baahubali 2 has two female characters, and they talk to each other quite a bit, the subject of discussion just alternates between Amarendra Baahubali and Mahendra Baahubali. While audiences hope to see more from the Baahubali franchise, I just hope to see an even more evolved Devasena. More power to her!

The writer is Programme Manager, Population First