After the Baahubali franchise becoming one of the most successful two-part movies in Indian cinema, SS Rajamouli and Netflix announced the making of a prequel.
The project had been titled Baahubali: Before The Beginning and was supposed to showcase the life of Queen Shivagami and her rise to power.
Initially the series was directed by Deva Katta and the cast included Mrunal Thakur, Rahul Bose and Atul Kulkarni in main roles. According to a report, the series was filmed on big-scale sets built in Hyderabad that cost over Rs 100 Crores. The post production was also in process but the makers allegedly decided to shelve the series and make it with a new cast.
A source revealed, “The entire amount invested in ‘Baahubali: Before The Beginning’ was put in the cans as the team decided to revamp the series with a new director. Kunal Deshmukh and Ribhu Dasgupta had replaced Deva Katta and the prep work also began in the month of July 2021.“
Talking how it was finally decided that the 150 Crore project stay shelved, the source adds, “The work done on ground in terms of pre-production couldn’t exactly be in sync with the vision that Netflix had for this period drama. After a series of discussions and contemplations, they decided to shelve the project at this point of time. Some extra money which was invested in the prep work too has been considered bad-debts for now. The approx. figure invested in ‘Baahubali: Before The Beginning’ was Rs 150 crore.“
“‘Baahubali’ is a cult in today’s time and they didn’t want to take the risk of meddling with something that has an iconic status. They may revisit it again, but this time around, only when the material on paper is strong enough to justify the legacy,” the source concluded.