Any folktale, novel or movie continues to live for a long time if it's characters are make an everlasting impression on the audience. Bàhubali is one such movie. The characters do not draw inspiration from either Ramayana or Mahabharata. They are inspired from both the epics.

I didn't analyze these things when I went to watch the movie twice in theatres. I was bowled over by its sheer graphic visuals. I started analyzing it when it came on the national television.

The movie starts with Sivagami carrying a earthen vessel on her head following the custom of Rakshasa Dahana or killing of the demon. It is the custom which daughter-in-law of Mahishmati had to perform once in every twenty five years. It's not hard to guess that the movie will end with Devasena killing the demon of her life and kingdom of Mahishmati, Bhallaladeva. 

Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) performed her duty as a queen, wife and daughter-in-law. But she fails in her duty as a mother. In the quest to prove that herself, she falls into her son's trap. Earlier she was Yashoda; for her both her sons were equal. Later, she's like Kaikeyi who didn't even make an attempt to know what Bharath wanted.

Devasena (Anushka Shetty) was mix of many characters. She is Sita when she stood with her husband. She is Draupadi when she stood against the injustice. She is Devaki when she waited in the prison for her son to rescue her.

Avantika (Tamannaah) is like Shikhandi. The former strives to take revenge as her aunt was imprisoned, the latter strives to take revenge as Drona and Arjuna had humiliated her father, Draupada. 

Amerendra Bàhubali (Prabhas) was mix of Ram, Bheema and Abhimanyu. He had his set of ideals but got stuck into the Chakravyuha created by his brother. Mahendra Bàhubali (again, Prabhas) is mix of Arjuna and Bheema; same charm and same strength.

Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) is like Duryodhana; he feels that the throne which belonged to him was given to his brother. He is cunning, scheming and wicked like Shakuni. But the fact that he loved Devasena and didn't marry anyone else makes one draw similarities with the relation of Duryodhana and his wife, Banumathi. Though Duryodhana wouldn't have imprisoned Banumathi, Bhallaladeva did which was a deviation from this character of Mahabharata.

Bijjaladeva (Nassar) is a mix of Dhritarashtra and again, Shakuni. While the former was denied the throne due to his evil thinking, the latter was denied due to his handicap. He is equally cunning and vicious. I feel that K. V. Vijayendra Prasad garu has removed the character Shakuni and given his scheming qualities to both, father and son.

Kattappa (Sathyaraj) is again a mix of Bhishma and Krishna. He is sworn to protect the heir of Mahishmati kingdom so is Bhishma. He is Krishna when he guides Mahendra.

The last scene where Mahendra is crowned is symbolic. He is surrounded by four women; the mother who gave him birth, the mother who take care of him, the wife who will bring new life and the grandmother who sacrificed her life to give him a new life. Though Sivagami was not present physically, her ideals continue to live on.

Sivagami and Devasena are the characters that neither eye candy or hard core feminists who are just strong. They are feminine yet strong. Their emotions hace been portrayed perfectly. I feel that though no character was taken directly from our epics, it still conveyed the same message. Victory of good over evil. Victory of power of love, eventually.