Baahubali: The Beginning
Baahubali: The Beginning is a 2015 Indian epic action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, and produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film features an ensemble cast including Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah, Ramya Krishna, Sathyaraj, and Nassar. The first of two cinematic parts, the film follows Shivudu / Shiva, an adventurous young man who helps his love Avanthika 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.
The film was written by Rajamouli’s father K. V. Vijayendra Prasad, who randomly told him a story about Sivagami, a woman who carries a baby in her hand while crossing a river, and a few years later about Kattappa, which intrigued Rajamouli. His fascination with mythology and the tales of the Amar Chitra Katha comics further fuelled his interest in the story. However, it took the writers three months to complete the final draft. The soundtrack and background score were composed by M. M. Keeravani while the cinematography, production design, and VFX were handled by K. K. Senthil Kumar, Sabu Cyril and V. Srinivas Mohan respectively.Mahendra Bahubali’s character is completely based on Karna(the main protagonist of the Mahabharata). SS Rajamouli said in an interview that-“Karna is his favourite character and appeals me the most. He is undoubtedly the central character of the epic, the actual protagonist which binds all the characters of the epic in a single thread from Arjuna to Kunti to Krishna to Duryodhana. From Pandavas to Kauravas. Sons of Bhima and Arjuna are present in the epic due to Karna. Arjuna’s presence and popularity among the rest Pandavas itself is because of Karna. He was the one for whom Shalya was appointed to reduce his energy. Indra was appointed against him. Kunti also asked him for promise to spare his 5 sons. Krishna himself went to offer him the kingship of this entire world. His enemies Pandavas could not sleep because of him for 13 years and brought Indra and Shalya in the epic to reduce his energy. Indra create Ghatotkacha and 14000 demons took birth to fight against Karna but the entire demon army was routed by Karna.” Amarendra Bahubali’s character is based on Lord Rama, Karna, Yudhisthira, Arjuna and Bhima. [5]
The film was made on a budget of ₹180 crore (US$24 million), making it the most expensive Indian film at its time of release. The film opened worldwide on 10 July 2015 along with the dubbed versions in Hindi and Malayalam, garnering critical acclaim and record-breaking box office success. With a worldwide box office gross of ₹586.45 crore (US$78 million) in its initial theatrical run, it became the highest-grossing film in India, third highest-grossing Indian film worldwide, and highest-grossing South Indian film, at the time of its release. Its Hindi dubbed version also broke several records by becoming the highest-grossing dubbed film in India. Both budget and box office records have since been surpassed by Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, the second highest grossing Indian film of all time.
It received several accolades. It won the National Film Award for Best Special Effects and Best Feature Film, becoming the first Telugu film to win the award. At the 63rd Filmfare Awards South, the Telugu version won five awards from ten nominations, including Best Film, Best Director for Rajamouli and Best Supporting Actress for Ramya Krishna respectively. Baahubali: The Beginning became the first Indian film to be nominated for Saturn Awards, receiving five nominations at the 42nd ceremony, including Best Fantasy Film and Best Supporting Actress.
