Baahubali: The Beginning

Baahubali: The Beginning
Theatrical release poster
Directed byS. S. Rajamouli
Screenplay byS. S. Rajamouli
Story byV. Vijayendra Prasad
Produced byShobu Yarlagadda
Prasad Devineni
Starring
CinematographyK. K. Senthil Kumar
Visual effects byV. Srinivas Mohan
Edited byKotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Music byM. M. Keeravani
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • 10 July 2015 (2015-07-10)
Running time
  • 158 minutes (Telugu)[1]
  • 159 minutes (Tamil)[2]
CountryIndia
Languages
  • Telugu
  • Tamil
Budget₹180 crore[3]
Box officeest. ₹650 crore (equivalent to ₹981 crore or US$120 million in 2023)[a]

Baahubali: The Beginning is a 2015 Indian epic 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 filmed in both Telugu and Tamil languages.[8][9] It features Prabhas in a dual role alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, and Nassar. The first of a duology of films, it 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 (2017).

The film's story was written by Rajamouli's father 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 Mahabharata and the tales of Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama 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.

The film was made on a budget of ₹180 crore ($28 million),[b] 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. It received national and international acclaim for Rajamouli's direction, story, visual effects, cinematography, themes, action sequences, music, and performances,[11] and became a record-breaking box office success. With a worldwide box office gross of ₹600–650 crore, it became the highest-grossing Telugu film and the second highest-grossing Indian film worldwide. It is currently the fourth highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. Its Hindi dubbed version also broke several records by becoming the highest-grossing dubbed film in Hindi of all time. Both budget and box office records have since been surpassed by Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, the highest-grossing film in India of all time.

Baahubali: The Beginning along with its successor, is widely regarded as one of the most influential films of Indian cinema.[12][13] It became the first Indian film to be nominated for American Saturn Awards, receiving five nominations at the 42nd ceremony, including Best Fantasy Film and Best Supporting Actress. It received several accolades such as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, and the National Award for Best Special Effects. It won five awards from ten nominations, including Best Telugu Film, Best Director - Telugu for Rajamouli and Best Supporting Actress - Telugu for Ramya Krishnan respectively, at the 63rd Filmfare Awards South.

  1. ^ "BAAHUBALI [Telugu version] (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  2. ^ "BAAHUBALI [Tamil version] (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Has SS Rajamouli's Baahubali 2 earned Rs 500 cr even before release?". India Today. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Top Grossers All Formats Worldwide Gross". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Is Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmastra a hit or a massive flop? Trade expert reveals". India Today. 8 October 2022. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022. Baahubali: The Beginning, which hit the screens in 2015, did not yield any initial profits for the makers. It is, however, regarded as a success as it collected Rs 600 crore at the box office.
  6. ^ "Baahubali 1 earned Rs 600 crore but made zero profit. The reason is Baahubali 2". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference augfirst was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Adam, Sherwin (24 July 2015). "Why Bollywood's hold over the Indian film industry is under threat". The Independent. Retrieved 26 February 2023. But now a Telugu-language battle epic from southern India's rival "Tollywood" has broken the country's box office records and shaken Mumbai's traditional big screen dominance.
  9. ^ "How Baahubali changed the face of Telugu cinema worldwide". India Today. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  10. ^ "USD to INR Historical Exchange Rates - CIA World Factbook". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Baahubali: The Beginning". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Baahubali turns 5: How SS Rajamouli's film changed Indian cinema forever". The Indian Express. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  13. ^ "6 years for Baahubali-The Beginning: 5 reasons why audience and critics loved the film". The Times of India. 10 July 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.


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