1. For Prabhas: He is suddenly a household name and safely in households outside of south India as well, since the time the Baahubali fever caught on everywhere.
He does a Salman, showing off shirtless, trained shoulders et al, does a Hrithik skilfully wielding the sword Jodha-Akbar like, and also does a quick-ish SRK charming and disarming the ladies, all packed into this tall dark rugged and very human superhero whose stunts we so want to believe possible and we do.
2. For the stylised cinematography: The spectacularly shot locales, especially pre-interval are eye treats worth revisiting the film for. It’s elemental from the first fade from black; the mountains, the river, earthy landscapes, dense jungles.
We wonder how snow fits in here, but then again, what the heck.
3. For the war sequences: The sheer scale, sprawling sets, impressive graphics, clever tricks, the use of weaponry we haven’t seen before, double-edged spears, swords with artsy hilts, carefully thought out strategies of war used against brute force, all make up the gripping war sequences.
We know who’ll win but they make it "bloody" interesting to see how. We know now why they’re saying that this is Indian cinema’s answer to Gladiator and 300.
4. For comic relief that doesn’t feel deliberately interjected: Unlike a typical Telugu film, there are no separate comedian-run subplots.
The love element is used instead to soften things a bit.
5. For the attention to detail: The cameras glide from panoramic views of whole kingdoms to grandiose palace architecture, swooping down to adornments of elephants lined up for the war, ferocious golden lion heads and so much more.
Just the number of different swords we see in the film, for instance, is interesting by itself.