Baahubali: The Beginning

Baahubali: The Beginning is a 2015 epic action film co-written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli. Made in the Telugu film industry and shot in both Telugu and Tamil, it stars Prabhas in a dual role, with Rana Daggubati, Anushka, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj and Nassar. It is the first half of a two-part story that concludes in Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), and together the two films are widely seen as among the most influential in Indian cinema.

Where the story came from

The story was written by Rajamouli’s father, V. Vijayendra Prasad, who has written the stories for most of his son’s films. It grew from two images he described to Rajamouli: a woman crossing a river while holding a baby above the water, and, later, the character of Kattappa. Rajamouli has said the film draws on the Mahabharata, and the writers were also influenced by the illustrated tales of Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama. Vijayendra Prasad has described Sivagami as carrying shades of Kunti and Kaikeyi, and Devasena as a warrior in the mould of Sita. The final draft took the writers three months.

Story

An injured woman escapes from a cave beneath a huge waterfall carrying an infant, and is swept away while crossing a river, holding the child above the water as she goes under. Tribespeople rescue the baby, and a woman named Sanga raises him as her own, calling him Sivudu.

Sivudu grows up strong, restless and determined to climb the cliff beside the waterfall. When he finally reaches the top, he meets Avantika, a warrior in a rebel group trying to free Devasena, a former queen who has been held captive for years by Bhallaladeva, the tyrant who rules the kingdom of Mahishmati. Sivudu takes up their cause and slips into the capital, where a single glimpse of his face sets off a chain of events that forces the loyal commander Kattappa to reveal the kingdom’s history.

Much of the second half is that history: how two princes, Bhallaladeva and Amarendra Baahubali, were raised side by side by the regent Sivagami, and how they were tested for the throne during an invasion by the Kalakeya tribe. The film ends on the cliffhanger that sent audiences into the sequel, which this summary leaves unspoiled.

Cast

• Prabhas in a dual role
• Rana Daggubati
• Anushka
• Tamannaah Bhatia
• Ramya Krishnan
• Sathyaraj
• Nassar

Making the film

Rajamouli announced in February 2011 that Prabhas would star in his next film, and revealed the working title, Baahubali, in January 2013. Production began at Rock Gardens in Kurnool on 6 July 2013. The waterfall scenes were filmed at Athirappilly Falls in Kerala, the kingdom of Mahishmati was built as large sets at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, and the snow sequences were shot in Bulgaria.

The film had a year of pre-production, during which 15,000 storyboard sketches were drawn. Visual effects shape almost all of it: more than 90 percent of the film contains enhanced shots, and the producer has said more than 600 VFX artists worked on it across 18 facilities around the world. It was produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works, and its budget of ₹170 crore made it the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release.

K. K. Senthil Kumar handled the cinematography, Sabu Cyril the production design, and V. Srinivas Mohan the visual effects.

Music

M. M. Keeravani composed the songs and the background score, and he later scored Rajamouli’s RRR as well.

Release and box office

The film opened worldwide on 10 July 2015, with dubbed versions in Hindi and Malayalam released alongside the Telugu and Tamil versions. According to the source, it grossed ₹600–650 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Telugu film and the second highest-grossing Indian film worldwide at the time. It was also the highest-grossing Tamil film when it was released, and its Hindi dubbed version became the highest-grossing dubbed film in Hindi. Its sequel later overtook all of these records.

Reception and awards

Reviewers praised Rajamouli’s direction, the story, the visual effects, the cinematography, the action, the music and the performances. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and the National Award for Best Special Effects. It was also the first Indian film nominated for the Saturn Awards, receiving five nominations at the 42nd ceremony, including Best Fantasy Film. At the 63rd Filmfare Awards South it won five awards from ten nominations, among them Best Telugu Film, Best Director for Rajamouli and Best Supporting Actress for Ramya Krishnan.

Legacy

With its sequel, Baahubali: The Beginning changed expectations of how large a Telugu film could be, both in scale and in reach beyond the Telugu audience. A combined recut of both films, titled Baahubali: The Epic, was released in cinemas worldwide on 31 October 2025.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.