Social media timelines are currently flooded with a bizarre new cinematic debate, as users aggressively compare S.S. Rajamouli’s Indian blockbuster Baahubali with Christopher Nolan’s newly released IMAX epic, The Odyssey.
Fuelled by algorithmic engagement-bait, certain corners of the internet are boldly claiming that Baahubali is the superior film.
However, this comparison exposes a massive lack of narrative context among vocal online fanbases, who are eager to hype their favorite films by tearing down entirely unrelated works of art.
To compare these two films by the same metric is to fundamentally misunderstand what they are.
Mythology vs. Pure Fiction
The most glaring error in this debate lies in the origin of the stories. The Odyssey is a foundational cornerstone of classical Western literature and Greek mythology, adapting Homer’s thousands-of-years-old epic poem.
Nolan’s version is tasked with exploring the psychological weight of postwar disillusionment, trauma, and a soldier’s agonising decade-long journey home to his family.
On the flip side, Baahubali is a magnificent work of entirely original epic fantasy fiction, conceived by writer K.V. Vijayendra Prasad and brought to life by Rajamouli.
It was specifically built from the ground up to deliver a modern, high-octane commercial “mass” cinematic experience filled with gravity-defying action, operating under an entirely different set of creative rules.
A Mismatch of Creative Intentions
Nolan’s The Odyssey is shot entirely on 70mm IMAX film cameras to create an atmospheric, sprawling landscape of isolation and moral metamorphosis.
It aims to humanise a deeply flawed, guilt-ridden protagonist rather than deify him. Judging a grounded, somber adaptation of a classical Greek text based on whether it provides the same high-energy theater “highs” or hero-elevation sequences as a Telugu commercial blockbuster is entirely illogical.
Ultimately, this viral discourse is a classic symptom of modern social media: driven by users who have likely never engaged with the source material, seeking quick clout through outrage.
Both Baahubali and Nolan’s The Odyssey are monumental achievements within their respective genres, and attempting to pit them against each other only robs film lovers of appreciating two completely different forms of storytelling.
