Baahubali: Before the Beginning

Last updated

Baahubali: Before the Beginning
Baahubali Before the Beginning Title.jpg
Based on The Rise of Sivagami
Chaturanga
Queen of Mahishmathi
by Anand Neelakantan
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Country of originIndia
Original languagesTelugu
Tamil
Hindi
English
Production
Producers
Editor
Production companies Arka Media Works
Netflix
Budget₹300 Crore [lower-alpha 1]
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseTBA (TBA)
Related
Baahubali

Baahubali: Before the Beginning is an upcoming Indian television series based on Anand Neelakantan's 2017 and 2020 novels The Rise of Sivagami , Chaturanga , and Queen of Mahishmathi. A Netflix original and a part of the Bahubali franchise , the series is produced by S. S. Rajamouli and Arka Media Works. [1] The first season consists of nine episodes [2] and acts as a prequel to Baahubali: The Beginning , [3] following the journey of Sivagami's rise to power in the Mahishmati kingdom. [4]

Contents

Before the Beginning was officially announced by Netflix in August 2018. Production began in September 2018 with Deva Katta and Praveen Sattaru as its directors. Mrunal Thakur was cast as Sivagami, who was later replaced by Wamiqa Gabbi. Rahul Bose and Atul Kulkarni play pivotal roles. In March 2021, it is reported that Netflix has revamped the project with a new creative team, scrapping the previously shot version. Made on the budget of ₹300 Crore, it is the most expensive part of the Baahubali franchise and one of the most expensive Indian TV series ever made.

Premise

The series follows Sivagami as she matures from a defiant and resentful girl into a wise queen, around the same time when the kingdom of Mahishmati rises from being a city-state to an influential empire. [5] [6]

Cast

Snigdha Akolkar, Vaquar Shaikh, Jameel Khan, Anup Soni and Sonali Khare have been cast in undisclosed roles. [15] [13] [16]

Production

Development

In March 2017, after the release of The Rise of Sivagami written by Anand Neelakantan, S. S. Rajamouli, the director of the two-part Baahubali films, confirmed that a television series will be made on the novel, comprising 13 episodes. [17] In November 2017, The Hans India reported that Deva Katta would direct a web series based on the world of Mahishmati. [18] In July 2018, Katta confirmed that he will co-direct a three-season Netflix original series, tentatively titled Shivagami. [19] The series, titled Baahubali: Before the Beginning, was announced in a public statement released by Netflix on 1 August 2018. [20] It was to be directed by Katta and Praveen Sattaru; Rajamouli will serve as a producer alongside Prasad Devineni under the Arka Media Works banner. [21] The announcement also revealed that the series was planned to have two seasons. [22]

Baahubali: Before the Beginning was the third Netflix original series announced from India after the crime thriller Sacred Games and horror miniseries Ghoul . [21] Erik Barmack, Vice-President of Netflix International Originals, felt that the theme of Baahubali "resonates globally", one of the reasons for considering the series. [23] On 2 August 2018, a teaser announcing the series was released online by Netflix both on their website and other social media platforms, including YouTube. [24] Rajamouli expressed his enthusiasm for the series, saying, "With Netflix as our partner, we have the opportunity to create a rich and riveting series and take this quintessential Indian epic to the world, which is very gratifying to me as a story-teller". [25] Neelakantan serves as the series' screenwriter. [26] According to the author, it is "the biggest thing Netflix has done in India so far", and is made along the likes of Game of Thrones . [26] He reasoned adapting the novel as a series, stating, "[G]iven the story's dark and violent tone, the current censorship rules won't allow for it to be made as a film". [26] Neelakantan said that part of the series is shot in Kerala and would feature something akin to the now obsolete Mamankam festival. [26] Sattaru stated that unlike the two Baahubali films, the series would not be limited to "a south or north... It's a pan-India series[...]". [27]

Filming

In September 2018, filming for the series began, with television actress Mrunal Thakur was confirmed to play the role of Sivagami in the series, with Rahul Bose and Atul Kulkarni in pivotal roles. [10] Three sets were erected at locations where the two Baahubali films were filmed. [10] Principal photography was completed in February 2019. [28] In April 2021, Thakur walked out of the project due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Wamiqa Gabbi. [7] [8]

In March 2021, Bollywood Hungama reported that Netflix has scrapped the previously shot version after investing ₹100 crore, and new version with a budget of ₹200 crore is planned. [29] The Hans India stated that the revamped version would have a new director and production team. [30] Kunal Deshmukh was reportedly signed as a director but he later opted out. [31]

In January 2022, Variety reported that Netflix was reevaluating the series, and has been "struggling with the project for some time now." [32]

Notes

  1. ↑ Originally, the series was shot with the budget of ₹100 Crore but Netflix scrapped it and revamped the series with the budget of ₹200 Crore, thus bringing its total budget to ₹300 Crore.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. S. Rajamouli</span> Indian film director, screenwriter (b. 1973)

Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli is an Indian director and screenwriter who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his epic, action and fantasy genre films. He is the highest grossing Indian director of all time, as well as the highest-paid director in India. He is a recipient of various national and international honours including a New York Film Critics Circle award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Saturn Awards, and four National Film Awards. In 2016, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, for his contributions in the field of art. In 2023, he was included on the Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rana Daggubati</span> Indian actor

RamanaiduDaggubati known mononymously as Rana, is an Indian actor, producer and a television personality who primarily works in Telugu cinema, in addition to Tamil and Hindi films. The recipient of several accolades including National Film Award and Nandi Award.

<i>Baahubali: The Beginning</i> 2015 film directed by S.S.Rajamouli

Baahubali: The Beginning is a 2015 Indian Telugu-language epic fantasy action film co-written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli, and produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works. The film was produced in Tollywood and was filmed in both Telugu and Tamil languages simultaneously. It features Prabhas in a dual role alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, and Nassar. The first of Duology, the film follows Sivudu, an adventurous young man who helps his love Avantika rescue Devasena, the former queen of Mahishmati who is now a prisoner under the tyrannical rule of king Bhallaladeva. The story concludes in Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anand Neelakantan</span> Indian author

Anand Neelakantan is one of India's top selling authors with more than 15 books to his credit. Anand is also a columnist, screenwriter, and public speaker. He is known for writing mythological fiction and has authored fourteen books in English and one in Malayalam. He has also written screenplays for popular television series in Hindi on various GEC and OTT platforms. He has been writing a column named Acute Angle in the New Indian Express since 2017. Anand has acted in two Advertisement films and has also played the role of the antagonist Ettappa Naicker in the Doordarshan Television show Swaraj. He follows the style of telling stories based on the perspective of the antagonists or supporting characters of a larger work. His debut work Asura: Tale of the Vanquished (2012) was based on the Indian epic Ramayana, told from the perspective of Ravana—the first book in his Ramayana series. It was followed by series of books based on characters from Mahabharata and Baahubali. His books have been translated to different languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Assamese, English, Sinhalese, Burmese and Indonesian. Anand has written screenplays for popular Hindi television serials like Siya Ke Ram in Star TV, Mahabali Hanuman in SONY TV, Chakravarthy Ashoka in Colors TV, Sarfarosh in Netflix, Swaraj in DD National, Srimad Ramayan in Sony TV etc. He has written the story for the OTT series TAJ in Zee5

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mrunal Thakur</span> Indian actress (born 1992)

Mrunal Thakur is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi and Telugu films. She began her acting career with the television soap operas Mujhse Kuchh Kehti...Yeh Khamoshiyaan (2012) and Kumkum Bhagya (2014–2016). For the latter, Thakur won the Indian Television Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wamiqa Gabbi</span> Indian actress

Wamiqa Gabbi is an Indian actress who appears in Punjabi and Hindi films. She made her screen debut in the Hindi film Jab We Met (2007) with a small role. But her major success came with Tu Mera 22 Main Tera 22 (2013) alongside Yo Yo Honey Singh and Amrinder Gill. Then she went onto star in many Punjabi films like Ishq Brandy (2014), Nikka Zaildar 2 (2017), Parahuna (2018), Dil Diyan Gallan (2019) and Nikka Zaildar 3 (2019).

Baahubali is an epic fantasy Indian Telugu-language media franchise created by S. S. Rajamouli. The franchise started off with a two-part film series directed by Rajamouli. The films were produced in Tollywood, the centre of Telugu language films in India and they were filmed in both Telugu and Tamil languages simultaneously. The films were followed by an animated series, a graphic novel, and a trilogy of novels in English.

<i>Baahubali 2: The Conclusion</i> 2017 film directed by S. S. Rajamouli

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language epic fantasy action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film was produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under the banner Arka Media Works. The film was produced in Tollywood, and was filmed in both Telugu and Tamil languages simultaneously. It features Prabhas in a dual role alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, Nassar, and Subbaraju. This film is the follow-up to Baahubali: The Beginning, serving as both a sequel and a prequel. The film is set in medieval India and follows the sibling rivalry between Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva; the latter conspires against the former and has him killed by Kattappa. Years later, Amarendra's son returns to avenge his death.

Bahubali is one of the Kevalis in Jainism.

<i>The Rise of Sivagami</i> 2017 novel by Anand Neelakantan

The Rise of Sivagami is an Indian historical fiction novel written by Anand Neelakantan. It acts as a prequel to the film Baahubali: The Beginning. It was originally released in English on 7 March 2017, with Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil versions released in April 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saahore Baahubali</span> 2017 song by Daler Mehndi, M.M. Keeravani, Mounima

"Saahore Baahubali" is a Telugu song from the 2017 film Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Sung by Daler Mehndi, the song is composed by M. M. Keeravani, with lyrics penned by his father Siva Shakti Datta and K. Ramakrishna. Most of the lyrics were written in Sanskrit.

<i>Baahubali: The Lost Legends</i> Indian animated television series

Baahubali: The Lost Legends is an Indian streaming television animated series that is a part of the Baahubali franchise, produced by Arka Media Works and Graphic India. The series revolves around the young princes Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva in the Mahishmati kingdom. The series is set before the incidents happened in Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. The first season aired on Amazon Prime Video from 19 April to 11 August 2017. All episodes of season 2 were released on 16 February 2018, Season 3 on 28 April 2018 and all episodes of Season 4 on 10 April 2019 and all episodes of Season 5 on 10 April 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhallaladeva</span> Fictional character

Bhallaladeva is a fictional character and recurring antagonist of the Baahubali franchise, and the main antagonist of the movie series. The character was created by V. Vijayendra Prasad and S. S. Rajamouli and was portrayed by Rana Daggubati in the films Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion, which were directed by Rajamouli. The director of the Baahubali franchise, S. S. Rajamouli, openly confessed to the public in the Audio Launch event that he considers Bhallaladeva to be even more powerful compared to the main protagonists of the Baahubali franchise, Amarendra Baahubali and Mahendra Baahubali.

<i>RRR</i> 2022 Indian film by S. S. Rajamouli

RRR is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language epic period action drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad. It was produced by D. V. V. Danayya of DVV Entertainment. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan alongside an ensemble cast with Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, and Olivia Morris playing supporting roles. It is a historical fiction film of two Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem, their friendship, and their fight against the British Raj.

<i>Chaturanga</i> (Neelakantan novel) Historical fiction novel

Chaturanga (transl. Chess) is an Indian historical fiction novel written by Anand Neelakantan. It acts as a prequel to the film Baahubali: The Beginning and sequel to the book The Rise of Sivagami. It was originally released in English on 6 August 2020, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil versions are scheduled to release.

<i>Queen of Mahishmathi</i> Historical fiction novel

Queen of Mahismati is an Indian historical fiction novel written by Anand Neelakantan. It acts as a prequel to the film Baahubali: The Beginning and sequel to the books The Rise of Sivagami and Chaturanga. It was originally released in English on 28 December 2020. Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil versions are yet to be released.

Rama Rajamouli is an Indian costume designer and film stylist, who primarily works in Telugu cinema. Rama made her debut with the 2001 film Student No: 1. She is known for her work in the films Magadheera (2009), Eega (2012), Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) and RRR (2022).

<i>Mai</i> (TV series) Indian Hindi-language series

Mai: A Mother's Rage or simply known as Mai is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language family thriller drama streaming television series on Netflix created by Atul Mongia, directed by Anshai Lal and produced by Anushka Sharma with her elder brother Karnesh Sharma under the banner of Clean Slate Filmz. The series stars Sakshi Tanwar, Wamiqa Gabbi, Prashant Narayanan, Raima Sen, Anant Vidhat Sharma and Vaibhav Raj Gupta in lead roles. It follows a story of a grieving mother who discovers the criminals behind her daughter's tragic death, and transforms from meek to merciless to get the real cause behind death. The series premiered on 15 April 2022 on Netflix.The series is renewed for season 2.

References

  1. ↑ "Netflix to feature Baahubali prequel". Press Trust of India. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018– via The Hindu.
  2. ↑ Kenny, Glenn (24 August 2018). "'The After Party' and 'Baahubali': Hip-hop Dreams and Indian Fantasy From Netflix". The New York Times . Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  3. ↑ Express Web Desk (2 August 2018). "Baahubali: Before the Beginning is Netflix India's next big original series". The Indian Express . Bengaluru. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Dalton, Ben (2 August 2018). "Netflix orders 'Baahubali' prequel series". Screen International . Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Story of Prabhas' Baahubali, 'before the beginning' announced, Rajamouli opens up". Press Trust of India. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018– via Deccan Chronicle.
  6. ↑ "Baahubali: Before the Beginning–Netflix announces prequel to the blockbuster Baahubali franchise". Netflix . 1 August 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  7. 1 2 Jha, Shefali (23 April 2021). "Mrunal Thakur opts out of Baahubali prequel despite finishing 70% shoot; here's why". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Wamiqa Gabbi to play Sivagami in 'Baahubali' series". The Times of India. 5 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Nahaar, Rohan (11 November 2018). "Mrunal Thakur, Rahul Bose announced as leads of Netflix's Baahubali prequel series, more details teased". Hindustan Times . Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 Adivi, Sashidhar (18 September 2018). "Mrunal Thakur to play Sivagami". Deccan Chronicle . Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  11. 1 2 Bansal, Ravi (9 November 2018). "Netflix unveils Asia expansion plans with 17 new Originals". Press Trust of India. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "Netflix unveils Asia expansion plans with 17 new Originals".
  13. 1 2 "Baahubali - Before the beginning Cast". 9 November 2018.
  14. ↑ Rajesh, Author: Srividya (5 October 2018). "Tej Sapru in Netflix Originals' Baahubali: Before the Beginning".{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  15. ↑ Rajesh, Author: Srividya (14 June 2019). "Marathi film actress Sonali Khare joins the cast of Netflix Originals' Baahubali".{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  16. ↑ Rajesh, Author: Srividya (6 September 2018). "Snigdha Akolkar in Netflix Originals' Baahubali: Before the Beginning".{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  17. ↑ "Rajamouli to make mini TV series on The Rise of Sivagami". Press Trust of India. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2018– via India Today.
  18. ↑ "Deva Katta's Web Series On Baahubali". The Hans India . 9 November 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  19. ↑ Shekhar, Mimansa (4 July 2018). "Baahubali prequel to unravel on Netflix. Here are all the deets". The Indian Express . Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  20. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (2 August 2018). "Netflix Adds Prequel Series to 'Baahubali' Indian Hit Movie Franchise". Variety . Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  21. 1 2 Tartaglione, Nancy (2 August 2018). "Netflix Sets 'Baahubali: Before the Beginning'; Gives Two-Season Order To Prequel Of Epic Indian Franchise". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  22. ↑ Jha, Lata (2 August 2018). "Netflix lines up two-season Baahubali prequel web series". Mint . Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  23. ↑ "'Baahubali' prequel series announced by Netflix". Indo-Asian News Service. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2018– via Gulf News.
  24. ↑ DNA Web Team (2 August 2018). "Prabhas's 'Baahubali' to get its own Netflix prequel series, watch the teaser". Daily News & Analysis . Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  25. ↑ Patches, Matt (2 August 2018). "Netflix reveals plans for a Baahubali prequel series". Polygon . Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Shrijith, Sajin (8 August 2018). "Baahubali prequel series will be along the lines of Game of Thrones: Anand Neelakantan". Cinema Express . Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  27. ↑ "CONFIRMED: Mrunal Thakur and Rahul Bose to lead Netflix original Baahubali: Before The Beginning". Bollywood Hungama . 10 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  28. ↑ "Baahubali web series on Netflix may release before its planned date". In.com . Web18. 22 February 2019. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  29. ↑ "SCOOP: Bahubali, now planned on a budget of 200 crores as Netflix scraps the already shot version of 100 crores". Bollywood Hungama. 16 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  30. ↑ Vyas (24 April 2021). "All is not well with 'Baahubali' web series". The Hans India . Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  31. ↑ "'Baahubali-Before The Beginning' web series paused; new creative producers to take over". The Times of India. 19 January 2022.
  32. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (27 January 2022). "Netflix's 'Baahubali' Prequel Series Being 'Reevaluated'". Variety.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.