# Baahubali (బాహుబలి) (franchise)

**Baahubali** (Telugu: బాహుబలి) is an Indian media franchise built around a two-part Telugu-language epic directed by S.S. Rajamouli, *Baahubali: The Beginning* (2015) and *Baahubali 2: The Conclusion* (2017), which tell the story of a warrior's rise, betrayal, and reclamation of the throne in the fictional ancient kingdom of [Mahishmati](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahishmati).<sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/11f634610029566f9ca60071bf3430d5)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_beginning)</sup> The films were produced by Arka Mediaworks, written by Rajamouli with his father Vijayendra Prasad, and starred Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, and [Tamannaah Bhatia](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamannaah-bhatia).<sup>[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_beginning)</sup> Beyond the two films, the property has expanded into animated series, novels, comics, games, and merchandise, and it is widely credited with establishing the "pan-India" release model in which a regional-language film is dubbed and marketed nationally.<sup>[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/floating-cities-shrunken-rivers-world-building-is-taking-off-in-indian-cinema-101770457200707-amp.html)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creator | Director S.S. Rajamouli; produced by Arka Mediaworks (Shobu Yarlagadda, Prasad Devineni); screenwriters Vijayendra Prasad and S.S. Rajamouli<sup>[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_beginning)</sup> |
| Films | *Baahubali: The Beginning* (2015, 2h 39m); *Baahubali 2: The Conclusion* (2017)<sup>[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_beginning)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/11f634610029566f9ca60071bf3430d5)</sup> |
| Setting | Mahishmati, a fictionalized version of a kingdom from Hindu legend and myth<sup>[4](https://baahubali.fandom.com/wiki/Mahishmati)</sup> |
| Languages | Made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, dubbed into Malayalam and Hindi<sup>[5](https://producersguildindia.com/Pdf/2016.pdf)</sup> |
| Budget | INR 3,000 million for both parts, with INR 850 million, 28 percent, allocated to visual effects<sup>[5](https://producersguildindia.com/Pdf/2016.pdf)</sup> |
| Box office | The Conclusion became India's highest-grossing film ever for a time; a 2022 Cardiff University thesis calls the franchise the highest-grossing in Indian cinema history<sup>[6](https://time.com/5648720/baahubali-2-the-conclusion/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/152274/1/CRITICAL%20FINAL%20Eshan%20Parikh%2031%20August%201757684%20FOR%20ORCA_1.9.22.pdf)</sup> |
| Extended media | Two animated series (*The Lost Legends*, *Crown of Blood*), a prequel novel trilogy beginning with *The Rise of Sivagami*, comics, games, and merchandise<sup>[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/floating-cities-shrunken-rivers-world-building-is-taking-off-in-indian-cinema-101770457200707-amp.html)</sup> |

## The two films

*Baahubali: The Beginning* was announced in 2011 and production started in July 2013.<sup>[5](https://producersguildindia.com/Pdf/2016.pdf)</sup> In the kingdom of Mahishmati, Shivudu learns about the conflict-ridden past of his family and his legacy, and must prepare to face his newfound arch-enemy.<sup>[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_beginning)</sup> The cast includes Prabhas as Amarendra Baahubali, Rana Daggubati as Bhallaladeva, Anushka Shetty as Devasena, Tamannaah Bhatia as Avanthika, and Nassar as Bijjaladeva.<sup>[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_beginning)</sup> The film ends on a cliffhanger, and *Baahubali 2: The Conclusion* (2017) answers it, revealing how Amarendra Baahubali was betrayed and killed and how his son reclaims the kingdom.<sup>[8](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/standpoint/story/baahubali-2-movie-review-story-answers-974963-2017-05-03)</sup>

**Production scale.** The Producers Guild of India case study records a total budget of INR 3,000 million for both parts, with the visual-effects budget at INR 850 million, 28 percent of the total, and describes the production as India's most expensive movie at the time.<sup>[5](https://producersguildindia.com/Pdf/2016.pdf)</sup> A later trade account puts the combined budget at INR 4.3 billion (INR 430 crore; USD 65 million).<sup>[9](https://www.animationxpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/anncy_magazine_2024.pdf)</sup> Screen's review noted elaborate visual effects more commonly associated with a Hollywood-financed blockbuster, battle scenes that raise the ghost of [Akira Kurosawa](https://www.edgepedia.org/akira-kurosawa), and storytelling in the tradition of the *Mahabharata*; it also cites a claimed budget of $40 million.<sup>[10](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/baahubali-the-beginning-review/5090691.article)</sup>

## Reception and box office

**Records.** When *The Conclusion* came out in 2017, it became India's highest-grossing film ever for a time.<sup>[6](https://time.com/5648720/baahubali-2-the-conclusion/)</sup> A Cardiff University thesis describes the franchise as the highest-grossing film franchise in the history of Indian cinema, with the Hindi version of *The Conclusion* the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time in India.<sup>[7](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/152274/1/CRITICAL%20FINAL%20Eshan%20Parikh%2031%20August%201757684%20FOR%20ORCA_1.9.22.pdf)</sup> One industry retrospective states that *Baahubali 2* became the first Indian film to gross over ₹10 billion (₹1,000 crore).<sup>[11](https://cinemaview.in/en/blog/how-ss-rajamouli-changed-indian-cinema)</sup> *The Beginning* won the [National Film Award for Best Feature Film](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-award-for-best-feature-film) for 2015.<sup>[12](https://sightlines.media/film/256040/bahubali-the-beginning-2015)</sup> On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 93 percent Tomatometer from 28 reviews, and its United States gross was $7.7 million.<sup>[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_beginning)</sup>

The intermission question of the first film, "Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?", became what India Today called probably the most oft-asked question in the history of Indian cinema.<sup>[8](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/standpoint/story/baahubali-2-movie-review-story-answers-974963-2017-05-03)</sup> *The Conclusion* was also screened at the 150-year-old [Royal Albert Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-albert-hall) in London, where the filmmakers received a standing ovation.<sup>[13](https://ntvtelugu.com/movie-news/5-years-for-movie-bahubali-the-conclusion-160279.html)</sup>

## The pan-India shift

The films changed how Indian movies reach audiences. In a pan-Indian film, production happens mainly in a regional language, while the movie is then dubbed, promoted, and distributed across the whole country in an effort to go head to head with [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema).<sup>[14](https://technosports.co.in/baahubali-vs-kgf-1800-crore/)</sup> Until then, only Hindi movies were considered pan-India worthy, and Sightlines now calls *Baahubali* the film that invented the modern pan-Indian blockbuster, the direct ancestor of *RRR*, *KGF*, and *Pushpa*.<sup>[15](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/baahubali-ss-rajamouli-changed-indian-cinema-forever-6498173/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://sightlines.media/film/256040/bahubali-the-beginning-2015)</sup> Its Hindi dub, presented by [Karan Johar](https://www.edgepedia.org/karan-johar)'s Dharma Productions, became the first non-Hindi Hindi chart-topper in Bollywood history, an event [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) describes as sending warning tremors through that industry.<sup>[3](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/floating-cities-shrunken-rivers-world-building-is-taking-off-in-indian-cinema-101770457200707-amp.html)</sup> The Hindi version of the first film earned Rs 250 million (Rs 25 crore) in its opening weekend in India.<sup>[16](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/standpoint/story/mani-ratnams-ponniyin-selvan-2-vikram-aishwarya-rai-bachchan-ss-rajamoulis-prabhas-baahubali-no-comparison-2366172-2023-04-29)</sup>

**Imitators and descendants.** The Times of India lists *Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2* and *Hari Hara Veeramallu* among Indian films that tried to emulate the Baahubali template for pan-India success.<sup>[17](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/ponniyin-selvan-1-ponniyin-selvan-2-hari-hara-veeramallu-indian-movies-that-tried-to-emulate-the-baahubali-template-in-its-picturization-for-the-pan-india-success/photostory/99148676.cms)</sup> The Kannada *KGF* series followed an arc similar to that of *Baahubali*, and commentators credit the franchise with changing Indian cinema's economics, its VFX workforce, and its pan-India release infrastructure.<sup>[18](https://www.civilsocietyonline.com/static/media/static/2024/03/29/January_-_February_2024.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[19](https://amp.indiaherald.com/Movies/Read/994892952/1000-crore-template-one-visionary-and-a-dozen-imitators-who-got-it-wrong-did-baahubali-change-indian-cinema-or)</sup>

## Transmedia expansion

Producer Shobu Yarlagadda, chief executive of Arka Mediaworks, described a deliberate licensing program from early on: comics, an animated series with Amazon, a trilogy of novels, and a mobile game were planned as ways for fans to enter the world through formats other than film.<sup>[20](https://www.indianretailer.com/franchisetv/archives/interviews/creating-tentpole-franchise-baahubali-licensing-program)</sup> He later explained the intent directly: "if you are a book reader, and not a film goer, the idea is that you discover the fandom and a franchise through a book, and then come into the world of 'Baahubali' through the films."<sup>[21](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/regional-cinema/story/baahubali-bible-world-building-characters-kingdoms-guide-2799723-2025-10-09)</sup>

Among these expanded works is the animated series *[Baahubali: The Lost Legends](https://www.edgepedia.org/baahubali-the-lost-legends)*, whose story takes place prior to the Kalakeya invasion shown in the film, at a time when Baahubali and Bhallaladeva had not yet grown out of their youth as Mahishmati's princes.<sup>[22](https://baahubali.com/animated-series/story.html)</sup> *Baahubali: Crown of Blood*, a nine-episode [Disney+ Hotstar](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-hotstar) series produced by Rajamouli, Sharad Devarajan, and Shobu Yarlagadda, covers the early years of the two lead characters.<sup>[9](https://www.animationxpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/anncy_magazine_2024.pdf)</sup> A live-action prequel series, *[Baahubali: Before the Beginning](https://www.edgepedia.org/baahubali-before-the-beginning)*, was announced by Netflix for nine episodes based on Anand Neelakantan's novel *The Rise of Sivagami*.<sup>[23](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81002406)</sup>

The expansion continues. *Baahubali: The Eternal War*, an animated feature exploring Amarendra Baahubali's afterlife, treats the blockbusters as expandable mythologies and bets that animation can carry the screen world to franchise scale.<sup>[24](https://thenetimes.in/article/baahubali-afterlife-expansion-shows-indian-animation-seeking-franchise-scale-2026/)</sup> In 2025, Rajamouli personally re-edited the two films into a single remastered feature, *[Baahubali: The Epic](https://www.edgepedia.org/baahubali-the-epic)*, cut from about five and a half hours to four hours with an intermission, and released it in cinemas worldwide.<sup>[25](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_epic)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://apnews.com/article/11f634610029566f9ca60071bf3430d5)</sup>

## World-building

The franchise is set in Mahishmati, a fictionalized version of a kingdom referred to in Hindu legend and myth.<sup>[4](https://baahubali.fandom.com/wiki/Mahishmati)</sup> Arka Mediaworks maintains a production "bible" documenting the kingdom's characters, dynasties, and geography, which India Today describes as a glue holding the franchise together.<sup>[21](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/regional-cinema/story/baahubali-bible-world-building-characters-kingdoms-guide-2799723-2025-10-09)</sup> A scholarly analysis of the two films found that the female characters never take a back seat in comparison to their male counterparts, emerging as lovers or warriors according to the need of the hour.<sup>[26](https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT1802639.pdf)</sup> Critics have also engaged with the films' politics; an Indian Express column argued that the franchise's technical finesse serves regressive socio-political values, a reading offered alongside praise for its breadth of vision and grandeur.<sup>[27](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-weakness-of-baahubali-ss-rajamouli-the-conclusion-review-4648488/)</sup>

## References

1. [Epic tales and star power: How Tollywood is reshaping Indian cinema, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/11f634610029566f9ca60071bf3430d5)
2. [Baahubali: The Beginning, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_beginning)
3. [Floating cities, shrunken rivers: World-building is taking off in Indian cinema, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/floating-cities-shrunken-rivers-world-building-is-taking-off-in-indian-cinema-101770457200707-amp.html)
4. [Mahishmati, Baahubali Wiki (Fandom)](https://baahubali.fandom.com/wiki/Mahishmati)
5. [Baahubali – The Beginning: Case study on a VFX success story, Producers Guild of India](https://producersguildindia.com/Pdf/2016.pdf)
6. [Here's the Deal With That Wild Battle Scene From Baahubali 2, Time](https://time.com/5648720/baahubali-2-the-conclusion/)
7. [Eshan Parikh, film phenomenon thesis, Cardiff University ORCA](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/152274/1/CRITICAL%20FINAL%20Eshan%20Parikh%2031%20August%201757684%20FOR%20ORCA_1.9.22.pdf)
8. [Baahubali 2 is all about the superficial, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/standpoint/story/baahubali-2-movie-review-story-answers-974963-2017-05-03)
9. [Baahubali's Legacy Continues, AnimationXpress magazine (2024)](https://www.animationxpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/anncy_magazine_2024.pdf)
10. [Baahubali: The Beginning review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/baahubali-the-beginning-review/5090691.article)
11. [How S.S. Rajamouli Changed the Direction of Indian Cinema, CinemaView](https://cinemaview.in/en/blog/how-ss-rajamouli-changed-indian-cinema)
12. [Bāhubali: The Beginning (2015) analysis, Sightlines](https://sightlines.media/film/256040/bahubali-the-beginning-2015)
13. [Five years of Baahubali: The Conclusion, NTV Telugu](https://ntvtelugu.com/movie-news/5-years-for-movie-bahubali-the-conclusion-160279.html)
14. [Baahubali vs KGF: box office and franchises compared, TechnoSports](https://technosports.co.in/baahubali-vs-kgf-1800-crore/)
15. [Baahubali turns 5: How SS Rajamouli's film changed Indian cinema forever, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/telugu/baahubali-ss-rajamouli-changed-indian-cinema-forever-6498173/)
16. [Stop comparing Ponniyin Selvan to Baahubali, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/standpoint/story/mani-ratnams-ponniyin-selvan-2-vikram-aishwarya-rai-bachchan-ss-rajamoulis-prabhas-baahubali-no-comparison-2366172-2023-04-29)
17. [Indian movies that tried to emulate the Baahubali template, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/ponniyin-selvan-1-ponniyin-selvan-2-hari-hara-veeramallu-indian-movies-that-tried-to-emulate-the-baahubali-template-in-its-picturization-for-the-pan-india-success/photostory/99148676.cms)
18. [Civil Society 20th anniversary issue on Indian cinema](https://www.civilsocietyonline.com/static/media/static/2024/03/29/January_-_February_2024.pdf)
19. [Did Baahubali change Indian cinema or its imitators get it wrong, India Herald](https://amp.indiaherald.com/Movies/Read/994892952/1000-crore-template-one-visionary-and-a-dozen-imitators-who-got-it-wrong-did-baahubali-change-indian-cinema-or)
20. [Creating a tentpole franchise with the Baahubali licensing program, Indian Retailer / FranchiseTV](https://www.indianretailer.com/franchisetv/archives/interviews/creating-tentpole-franchise-baahubali-licensing-program)
21. [The Baahubali Bible: inside the franchise guide, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/movies/regional-cinema/story/baahubali-bible-world-building-characters-kingdoms-guide-2799723-2025-10-09)
22. [Baahubali – The Lost Legends animated series, official site](https://baahubali.com/animated-series/story.html)
23. [Baahubali: Before the Beginning, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81002406)
24. [Baahubali's animated afterlife signals India's franchise ambitions, The Netimes](https://thenetimes.in/article/baahubali-afterlife-expansion-shows-indian-animation-seeking-franchise-scale-2026/)
25. [Baahubali: The Epic, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/baahubali_the_epic)
26. [IJCRT paper on female characters in the Baahubali franchise (2018)](https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT1802639.pdf)
27. [Baahubali's technical finesse is a vehicle for regressive socio-political values, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-weakness-of-baahubali-ss-rajamouli-the-conclusion-review-4648488/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Fictional worlds and series reference apparatus › Fictional universes, characters, and attribute reference › Fictional universe concepts, canon, and continuity*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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