Baahubali

[GeneChing]

'Bahubali' : Rana Duggubati learns mixed martial arts
IndiaGlitz [Monday, February 16, 2015]



Rana Daggubati went through an intensive martial arts training for six months before commencing shoot of the magnum opus Bahubali. Bahubali is a war film with a lot of action sequences. The lead cast needed to be flexible, swift and quick with the movements along with knowing certain weapon use. A body double was used to shoot it hence actors had to know it all and needed to be trained well.

The training continued on set later. They were trained by Vietnamese martial arts experts Tang, Son and Luck. They were trained in mixed martial arts, weapon training as the film involves a lot of weapon fight. They also helped the cast combat injuries and helped in a speedy recovery process. Training helped them in flexibility, swift movement and fight. Rana trained in scaling walls and Mace weapon use with minimum of 8 hours of training in a day.

Rana confirmed, "Peter Hines the Action Director for Bahubali, had me training with 3 special fighters from Vietnam for about 6 to 8 months. They used a combination of mixed martial arts and weapon training. The actual choreography for the action scenes began after this where several new techniques and methods for horse riding, chariot riding and other period film action requirements. Period action scenes are heavily injury prone so it is better to be trained in advance."

Bahubali will be a pan India release and will be in Hindi as well.

I'm disappointed they went Vietnamese and didn't train Indian mace. Does Vietnamese martial arts even have a mace?

We ran an article on Indian maces and their connection to Chinese maces last year: The Indian Gada and Chinese Melon Hammers By Harjit Singh Sagoo NOV+DEC 2014

[GeneChing]

More on Baahubali here. I've seen this film. It's got ridiculously over-the-top visuals and some very entertaining fight sequences (mostly CGI, like a superhero flick). I thought I reviewed it here. Perhaps there is a variation on spelling. I'll split this into its own indie thread if I get another post on it.

‘Baahubali’ to Release in 6000 Screens in China this May
POSTED BY: GOPI FEBRUARY 13, 2016



Chennai, Feb 13 (IANS) S.S. Rajamouli's magnum opus "Baahubali", one of India's biggest blockbusters, will release in over 6,000 screens via E Star Films in China in May.

"This will be the biggest ever release for an Indian film in China, superseding Aamir Khan's 'PK', which released in 5,000 screens. The makers had planned to release the film this month, however, it had to be postponed due to unavailability of suitable dates," a source from the production team told IANS.

The film has already been sold to over 30 international territories, including Latin America and Japan.

Presently, the shooting of the second part of the film is under way. It is expected to hit the screens later this year or early next year.

[GeneChing]

I just poached this off our Bollywood-Kung-Fu!! thread. It's a significant one.

Aren't Indians considered Oriental here in the West?

Oriental actor in Baahubali?
Telugu360 17 hours ago



Since many years, Hollywood production houses have been roping in Chinese and Oriental actors to broaden the appeal of their big budget offerings. This strategy has paid off successfully.

Now, a major Telugu film may take the same route. According to reliable sources,the big budget period film Baahubali may use an oriental actor to broaden the film’s appeal in Asian markets. Baahubali is releasing in China this summer and the second part will aim for a bigger release. In this context, using an oriental actor makes good sense.

It is still not clear whether director S.S Rajamouli will bring in an actor for a cameo or a full fledged appearance. So far, nothing has been confirmed and this is said to be at a stage of advanced discussion only. A decision may be announced soon.

Baahubali is the pride of Telugu Cinema and it is putting TFI on the global cinema map.

[GeneChing]

This film is gorgeous and absurd CGI mania. Imagine Bollywood meets Lord of the Rings final battle. The statue erection was clearly inspired by Detective Dee although it goes a totally different direction - that scene and the final battle comprise the centerpieces of the film. Lots of gratuitous slo-mo. Man, Bollywood flicks would be half as long if they just cut out the gratuitous slo-mo. LOTS OF SWORDFIGHTS! There's even a sword-fight-seduction, which is totally absurd because it starts in a frozen wasteland and then transitions to a tropical temple for no reason. Ok, this is a SPOILER but I can't help it. The sword-fight-seduction begins with the hero tattooing the hand of his affection while she slept with her hand in a stream. Then he tattoos her shoulder as she stalks the stream, hoping he'll show up again so she can shoot him with an arrow. She's a top fighter, great with blades and bows. And she's in a tree. And somehow he gets above her in that tree. And then he drops a snake on her so she doesn't notice that he's tattooing her shoulder. The tattoos, revealed in the sword-fight-seduction as she is artfully disrobed from her warrior attire which transforms into a beautiful red sari, match his tattoos when they embrace. God I love Bollywood! END SPOILER.

Then the big twist. This was only part 1. It left me on a wicked cliffhanger. I shouted ******! right after. Totally spoiled it for me because I didn't see it coming.

And I read on the web that there will be a part 3.

[GeneChing]

I'm all in for this sequel. Might even have to check out that animated series, although I suspect it won't match the spectacle of the first film.

India Box Office: Will 'Baahubali 2' Set Records?
12:30 AM PDT 4/28/2017 by Nyay Bhushan


Courtesy of Arka Mediaworks
'Baahubali: The Conclusion'

The sequel to the 2015 blockbuster is getting the widest release ever for a homegrown film in the country, with experts saying it could end up as the highest-grossing Indian film of all time.
India is bracing for what could be a historic weekend at the box office when Baahubali: The Conclusion opens wide this Friday.

Living up to its name, the first installment of Baahubali (which means "the one with strong arms"), is estimated to have reached a muscular $100 million worldwide when it was released in 2015. While India does not report box-office numbers, Baahubali: The Beginning brought in about $77 million in the country, according to estimates, and is considered among the top three grossers of all time.

In North America, the first film had "a monster opening," New York-based BoxOfficeGuru.com editor Gitesh Pandya tells THR, adding that Baahubali collected “over $4 million in its first weekend, including Thursday pre-shows. which featured tickets selling for as much as $28 each."

Pandya adds that the Friday-to-Sunday period reached ticket sales of about $3 million, which was close to the $3.6 million milestone set by 2014 hit satire PK, starring Aamir Khan, the biggest opening weekend ever for an Indian film.

Pandya says that Baahubali 2, which also opens in the U.S. this Friday, "may certainly deliver a larger opening weekend as the brand is stronger this time, plus the new film will be opening on about 40 Imax screens as well in the U.S., helping to make it a bigger event for fans." Baahubali: The Conclusion is only the third Indian film after 2013's Dhoom 3 and 2014's Bang Bang! to also get an Imax release in the U.S.

Directed by S. S. Rajamouli and planned as a two-part epic, the films were made simultaneously at an estimated budget of $40 million, making the project one of the most expensive Indian production ever. The films are produced by Shobu Yarlagadda's Arka Mediaworks.

Importantly, Baahubali's success put the spotlight on talent from the South Indian industry, which is often overshadowed by Hindi-language Bollywood. In its review, THR described Baahubali as "epic entertainment for those with a taste for swords, sandals and saris."

The sequel continues the story of warring royal cousins in an ancient mythical kingdom and again features South Indian stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannah and Anushka Shetty.

The hype around the sequel in India has been fueled by the first film's cliffhanger ending as the titular character (played by Prabhas), is stabbed in the back by Kattappa (veteran Tamil actor Sathyaraj), a trusted warrior who was meant to protect him. For almost two years, the question "Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali?" has generated the kind of heat that Game of Thrones did when fans discussed the fate of Jon Snow at the end of season five.

Whatever records the sequel may break, it is already getting the widest release ever for any homegrown film, according to Indian media reports, opening on an estimated 6,500 screens in the country. While there is no official data for which Indian film has received the widest release, mainstream Bollywood tentpoles can get play on around 4,000-5,000 screens. India's total screen count is estimated at around 8,000 screens.

Like the prequel, Baahubali 2 will also get a multi-lingual rollout in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi, further boosting its potential reach.

In India, observers are sizing up the sequel to the current box-office champion.

India Today magazine projects that both Baahubali films together stand a chance to earn over $227 million (1.5 billion rupees) worldwide, implying that Baahubali 2 can eventually reach about $127 million. If that happens, then the sequel could topple PK's total estimated worldwide haul of about $116 million, considered the highest ever for any Indian film.

"While I can't give a figure, I think Baahubali 2 can be the highest-grossing Indian film of all time," Mumbai-based box office analyst Taran Adarsh tells THR.

As for its marketing, since the first film, the Baahubali franchise has been widely extended to comics, games, merchandise and also a virtual reality experience entitled The Sword of Baahubali, developed with AMD Inc., which has been showcased at various events since last year. The Baahubali VR zone is currently also featured at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. In addition, the VR zone will also be showcased in some cinemas in India with the film's release.

The franchise also has a spin-off animated series, Baahubali: The Lost Legends, which launched last week on Amazon Prime Video worldwide. The series was created by Rajamouli, Arka Mediaworks and character entertainment company Graphic India, which is backed by Peter Chernin's CA Media.

"What we managed to showcase in the film was just the tip of the iceberg," said Rajamouli in launching the series. "From the minute I started working on this story, I knew the world of Baahubali can’t be encompassed into a film or two, simply because there’s so much more to tell, and animation is another way to do that."

[GeneChing]

One of these days, someone else here on the forum will see this and chime in on this here thread. At least, I hope that happens. I know I go on about Bollywood flicks - it's a guilty pleasure of mine for sure. But this one is a very special film - or two films actually. I am as excited to the this sequel as I am for GotG:V2.

India Box Office: 'Baahubali 2' Shatters Records
12:33 PM PDT 5/1/2017 by Nyay Bhushan


Courtesy of Arka Mediaworks
'Baahubali: The Conclusion'

The sequel to the 2015 epic notched the highest opening weekend of all time in India.
Baahubali: The Conclusion has lived up to its prerelease hype.

India does not report box-office figures, but according to local media accounts, Baahubali 2 collected 3.85 billion rupees ($59.8 million) at the country's box office, which is the biggest opening of all time. Globally, it launched to $77.7 million, including an estimated $10.1 million in North America, a record showing for an Indian film.

In addition to Telugu, Baahubali 2 received a multilingual rollout in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. The film is a follow-up to the 2015 blockbuster Baahubali: The Beginning.

The Hindi version, distributed by leading Bollywood banner Dharma Productions, alone collected a record $19.9 million, besting the $16.6 million earned last year by wrestling drama Dangal.

Baahubali 2 is the third Indian film to get an Imax release following 2013's Dhoom 3 and 2014's Bang Bang! The sequel earned $2.34 million from 66 Imax screens globally, a record for an Indian feature. It also recorded the biggest Imax opening in India for any film with $330,000, beating The Fate of the Furious.

Directed by well-known filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli, the two Baahubali pics were simultaneously filmed at an estimated budget of $40 million, making it the most expensive Indian production ever. The films were produced by Shobu Yarlagadda's Arka Mediaworks. The sequel continues the story of warring royal cousins in an ancient mythical kingdom and again features top South Indian stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannah and Anushka Shetty.

The first installment of Baahubali (which means "the one with strong arms") earned a muscular $100 million worldwide, including $77 million in India. The film's success put the spotlight on the South Indian film industry, which is often overshadowed by Hindi language Bollywood.

Expectations are high that Baahubali 2 could become the highest-grossing Indian film ever, with grosses north of $116 million.

[GeneChing]

...of All Time until the next one. Time includes the future, right? I've always disdained that catch phrase.

Box Office: 'Baahubali 2' Becomes Highest-Grossing Indian Film of All Time
7:59 AM PDT 5/5/2017 by Nyay Bhushan


Courtesy of Arka Mediaworks
'Baahubali: The Conclusion'

The sequel to the 2015 epic has collected $131 million worldwide, beating previous record-holder 2014's 'PK'.
Following its record opening weekend when it released worldwide on April 28, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion has become the highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

Because India does not officially report box office numbers, local reports have tracked the latest figures. The film reportedly has crossed $131 million (over 8 billion rupees) worldwide, easily beating the estimated $123 million global haul collected by previous record-holder, 2014's PK which starred top actor Aamir Khan.

With the film collecting $13.1 million in the U.S., Baahubali 2 also beat previous record-holder Dangal's $12.4 million total haul in the territory. The real-life wrestling drama also starred Aamir Khan. In India, the film has collected over $106 million, becoming the highest-grossing film in the country, beating previous record-holder Dangal which collected $83 million.

Baahubali 2 is the sequel to the 2015 epic Baahubali: The Beginning and is directed by acclaimed South Indian helmer S. S. Rajamouli. Planned as a two-part epic, both films were simultaneously filmed at an estimated budget of $40 million, making this the most expensive Indian production ever.

The films are produced by Shobu Yarlagadda's Arka Mediaworks. The sequel continues the story of warring royal cousins in an ancient mythical kingdom and again features top South Indian stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah and Anushka Shetty.

In addition to its original Telugu language version, the film was released in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. Leading Bollywood banner Dharma Productions distributed the Hindi version of the film and posted a tweet touting the film was “the #1 blockbuster of Indian cinema.”

[GeneChing]

Wait, the original is in English, not Telugu?

Prabhas in a scene from Baahubali 2 trailer. (Photo courtesy: Dharma Productions)
INDIAN CINEMA | 1 min read
‘Baahubali 2’ To Be Dubbed for China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea
Subhash K. Jha
May 6, 2017, 12:00 am

That fact that SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Conclusion has really long legs, has been proved by the incredible success it has garnered at the box-office since its release. But the franchise is far from over. Baahubali producer Shobu Yarlagadda informs that the blockbuster sequel will now be dubbed into several foreign languages, for fans in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

We are first dubbing the film into Chinese. After studying the Chinese film market and seeing the incredible number of theatres across China, we’ve decided to do a full-scale dubbed version of Baahubali 2. This will be followed by a dubbed Japanese version of our film. Then there would be a Korean and Taiwanese versions.
Shobu Yarlagadda, Baahubali producer

Work on multiple dubbed versions in international languages is on simultaneously.

We want to make Baahubali 2 accessible to non-English speaking audiences all over the world. We’re working on multiple-language dubbing. Hopefully they’ll all reach the target market at the same time.
Shobu Yarlagadda

[GeneChing]

I'm wondering about the U.S. release. I really want to see this as part one left me hanging.

S. S. Rajamouli
Baahubali 2 to release in China on September!
By HT



After taking the Indian box-office by storm, SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali 2 is gearing up for wide release in China, where it will be released via E Star Films, the company which also distributed Aamir Khan’s Dangal.

In his latest interview Forbes magazine, Allen Liu, CEO of E Star Films confirmed that Baahubali 2 will hit the screens in China in September and that they are planning release on a very big scale.

To come out in as many as 4000 screens, Liu also confirmed that the entire cast of the film will come to promote the film closer to its release date.

On Friday, the film completed its 50th day of theatrical run in India in over 1000 screens. It’s the first Indian film to breach into the Rs 1500 crore club, crushing all records across the length and breadth of the globe.

In Tamil Nadu, the film has officially joined the Rs 150 crore club, becoming the first film to achieve the rare feat, even surpassing superstar Rajinikanth’s Enthiran, which registered the record seven years ago.

According to trusted trade pundits, it took second part in the Baahubali franchise 16 days to breach into the Rs 100 crore club in Tamil Nadu. In Kerala, the film minted around Rs 70 crore and is still behind the record set by Mohanlal’s Pulimurugan.

Having broken the records of Bollywood biggies such as Sultan and Dangal to become the biggest Indian grosser, there’s no record left to be broken by the film and it’s a moment of pride for every south Indian.

A story about two warring brothers battling for the ownership of an ancient kingdom, Prabhas and Rana Daggubati played the male protagonists. The features elaborate fight sequences and computer graphics including rampaging elephants and a bull stampede which have left both audiences and critics alike in awe.

Shot in Telugu and Tamil, the film was dubbed into Hindi and Malayalam. Interestingly, all the four versions of the film did exceptionally good business at the ticket window.

[GeneChing]

01 August 2018
Baahubali: The Rise of Sivagami
NETFLIX ANNOUNCES PREQUEL TO THE BLOCKBUSTER BAAHUBALI FRANCHISE

Mumbai, India, August 2nd - Netflix Inc., the world's leading internet entertainment service, today announced a new Netflix original series based on the global blockbuster franchise, Baahubali. The two season order, Baahubali: Before the Beginning, will be a prequel to Baahubali: the Beginning and Baahubali: the Conclusion (both of which are currently available on Netflix to audiences around the world). Baahubali: the Conclusion grossed US$ 270 million at the global gross box office (including US$ 20 million at the US box office), and is the the highest grossing film franchise from India.

Season one of the series will comprise nine episodes and is based on Anand Neelakantan’s book, The Rise of Sivagami. This (prequel) series captures Queen Sivagami’s journey from a rebellious and vengeful girl to a wise and unequalled queen. Power, politics and intrigue find themselves juxtaposed against the rise of Mahishmati - from being a city-state to an empire. This is the rich backdrop and drama where the Baahubali franchise is set. The series promises to build on the incredible narrative style of the franchise - including its high production values, spectacular visuals and connective-epic story-telling.

Netflix has partnered with the ace team behind the Baahubali universe, including Arka Media Works and SS Rajamouli. Deva Katta and Praveen Sataru will together direct the series.

SS Rajamouli, Director said, “The World of Baahubali is extensive and immersive with strong characters and larger than life kingdoms. The films Baahubali -The Beginning and The Conclusion, are from one story set in this world and more dramatic stories were broadly conceived while building the Universe. The Baahubali Series, a prequel to the films, is one such story. I am very excited that this is being adapted as a Netflix Original Series. 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.”

Prasad Devineni, Producer, Arka Media Works, said “We have been working for over a year now in developing this story, a prequel to the films as an Netflix original series. We are happy to be partnering with Netflix to produce this amazing story. This partnership gives us the reach and the creative freedom to bring to life the full potential of the series in all its grandeur and exceed the high expectations set by both our films.”

Erik Barmack, VP, International Originals, Netflix, said, “Baahubali is a world-class franchise that epitomizes the power of compelling stories that resonate globally. We are excited to work with some of the world's most talented writers and producers on one of India’s most beloved stories. The series is a tremendous opportunity for us to give audiences more of the universe that they have come to love, and welcome millions more into the global Baahubali fandom.”

About Netflix

"Netflix is the world's leading internet entertainment service with 130 million memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments."

Interesting. I did see part two. I should post a forum review.

[GeneChing]

Jan 26, 2022 6:30pm PT
Netflix’s ‘Baahubali’ Prequel Series Being ‘Reevaluated’

By Naman Ramachandran

“Baahubali: The Beginning”
Courtesy of Arka Media Works
The much anticipated “Baahubali: Before The Beginning,” the two-season Netflix prequel to India’s “Baahubali” blockbuster films, is now being “reevaluated” Variety understands.

The series was announced with much fanfare in 2018 with the film’s producer Arka Mediaworks producing for Netflix. Deva Katta (“Prasthanam”) and Praveen Sattaru (“Guntur Talkies”) were due to direct.

Based on the bestselling “Baahubali” franchise novel “The Rise of Sivagami” by Anand Neelakantan, the series was to follow the journey of Queen Sivagami from a rebellious girl to a wise queen.

A season, costing an estimated $20 million, was directed by Katta using sets in Hyderabad. And later began post-production.

However, Netflix was not entirely happy with the finished product, Variety has learned and considered bringing in other directors, including one who had directed two previous Netflix projects. There were mid-stream cast changes as well.

Netflix and Arka declined to comment when approached by Variety.

“Netflix have been struggling with the project for some time now,” a source familiar with the matter informed Variety.

” ‘Baahubali: Before the Beginning’ is one of the country’s most loved IPs (but) creating India’s first epic series comes with its own challenges,” the source added. “The last two years with COVID were full of complexities and hurdles, which impacted productions, especially one of this scale.”

The streamer is “reevaluating the project to bring the best version of this story” to audiences, the source explained.

Released worldwide between 2015 and 2018, the “Baahubali” films, directed by S.S. Rajamouli, were made on a combined budget of $70 million and collected $370 million globally. Presented in Telugu and Tamil, and several dubbed versions, the films featured South Indian stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia.

Two seasons of animated series “Baahubali: The Lost Legends,” produced by Arka and Graphic India were released on Amazon Prime Video in 2017 and 2018.

I know, I know, still haven't posted my review of p2. It's only been like 4 years. I blame covid.