Netflix Adds Prequel Series to ‘Baahubali’ Indian Hit Movie Franchise

By Naman Ramachandran

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Streaming giant, Netflix has announced “Baahubali: Before The Beginning,” a two season original series that runs as prequels to the blockbuster films “: The Beginning” and “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.” The features, were smash hits for director S.S. Rajamouli and producers Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni at Arka Mediaworks.

Released worldwide between 2015 and 2018, the “Baahubali” films were made on a combined budget of $70 million and collected $370 million globally. Presented in Tamil and Telugu, the films featured South Indian stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia. In addition tot their international success, the feature films scored rare all- releases.

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

Deva Katta (“Prasthanam”) and Praveen Sattaru (“Guntur Talkies”) will direct the series. It will be produced in association with Arka and Rajamouli.

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.

“The entire team is working hard to deliver an original series that matches the high expectations set by both the films,” Yarlagadda told Variety.