Baahubali part 1... not seen it yet? Face the peer pressure!

Baahubali nahi dekhi?! The question contains a new sort of peer pressure for the Facebooking and Instagramming generation. If they admit that they haven’t watched Baahubali: The Beginning, at a time when Baahubali: The Conclusion is making waves, then scorn is poured over them.

Geetu Martolia, who is a communications manager in Delhi, says, “I do watch films, but Baahubali, which is borderline regional and not of my preferred genre, wasn’t my first choice when part 1 released. So I asked my friends what’s the story when the hullabaloo began during the release of part 2. And the reaction I got was: ‘You haven’t watched Baahubali 1?!’ I confessed the truth, that’s why it happened.”

Hrishita Dewan, a 20-yearold student, got long looks of disbelief from her classmates, when she said she hadn’t watched Baahubali part 1. “I couldn’t understand what this reaction was about until I saw some Facebook videos mocking people who’re in the same boat as me,” she says.

This is a talking point even among psychologists! Dr Shreeja Dey, a Delhi-based psychologist, was asked by her peers how she could possibly have missed part 1, being a movie lover.

Even in the film industry, not all had seen part 1 until the sequel was out. “I know many such friends,” says Atul Mohan, trade analyst. “After the success of Baahubali 2, they made it a point to watch part 1, wherever available.”