‘Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli,’ the latest Netflix documentary, delves into the incredible journey of SS Rajamouli, now recognized as one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. Premiering on August 2, this 74-minute film features interviews with his family members and superstars like Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ram Charan, and Jr NTR, who have starred in his blockbuster films.
A notable revelation comes from Rana Daggubati, who disclosed that he wasn’t the first choice for the villain role in the Baahubali films. The filmmakers initially approached Hollywood star Jason Momoa, famous in India for his role as Khal Drogo in ‘Game of Thrones.’
Reflecting on his casting, Daggubati shared, “The producer, Shobu Yarlagadda, came and just told me that it’s a period war-based kind of film and that they were looking at me playing the antagonist. I replied that I’d love to have a narration. I also asked him, ‘Who’s the actor you went to before you came to me?’. He said, ‘We tried to reach Jason Momoa from Game Of Thrones!’. I said, ‘Okay, that’s a good second number’.”
The Baahubali saga, consisting of ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ and ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,’ depicts a gripping war of succession between Amarendra Baahubali and his older cousin Bhallaladeva. Prabhas played dual roles as the father and son, while Rana Daggubati portrayed the antagonist Bhallaladeva. Rajamouli’s direction and storytelling made these films monumental successes.
At their release, the Baahubali films were the most expensive Indian movies. ‘Baahubali: The Beginning,’ made for Rs 180 crore, grossed Rs 650 crore worldwide in 2015. Its sequel, ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,’ produced for Rs 250 crore, earned a staggering Rs 1800 crore globally in 2017, making it the second-highest grossing Indian film of all time.
SS Rajamouli had confirmed earlier this year that he is going to expand his Baahubali franchise in many “ways and mediums”. He mentioned that they are looking beyond films to expand the Prabhas starrer and added that he is working on it with the film’s producer Shobu Yarlagadda.
“When a brand is created in the West, it goes multi-media. We’ve tried making games, a VR film, and a series for ‘Baahubali’ so far. But, nothing worked out as expected,” Rajamouli said as quoted by India Today and then added, “It took us time to get here and to find the right people. It was also difficult to break away and hand over the reins to creator Sharad [Devarajan]. But, they did a good job with it, and it’s something that needed to happen.”
“Baahubali is going to go forward not just with animated series. It is going to expand in many other ways and medium. This is not the platform to talk about it,” he shared.
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