S.S. Rajamouli, the filmmaker behind India’s blockbuster hits RRR and the Baahubali saga, is back… with his Baahubali saga. But slightly shorter.
With Baahubali: The Epic, Rajamouli has distilled his two-part mythological epic, Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion, into a single four-hour film primed for theatrical re-release. The re-edit isn’t just a simple reissue for the 10th anniversary of The Beginning, or a George Lucas-esque attempt to “fix” anything wrong with the two halves. Instead, Rajamouli says he wanted to court fans of the series who never saw it in theaters the first time, and lay the bricks for what’s next in the ever-expanding Baahubali universe.
The two epic films chronicle the heir to the warrior mantle of Baahubali, as he navigates a Lord of the Rings-esque triumph over evil. Shortening that into a four-hour runtime meant making difficult choices. “I wasn’t OK with trimming anything,” Rajamouli admits to Polygon. “[But] I have to tell a story. What exactly are the scenes where the story’s happening?”
To find the right balance, the director focused on pacing — he wanted his signature lavish set pieces to pop at just the right moments. Among the cuts were parts of the romantic subplot between Avanthika and Sivudu, along with several musical numbers that weren’t crucial to the plot. What’s left is a more action-heavy drama version of the Baahubali double feature.
While Rajamouli resisted the urge to overhaul major elements of the films, he says he used the opportunity to improve the rhythms of the film and update some of the VFX work. “Not largely noticeable,” he says, “more subtle” for eagle-eyed fans who’ve watched the originals countless times.
This isn’t the first time Rajamouli has revisited a beloved project, but it’s clear he sees Baahubali as more than a two-movie narrative. (And who wouldn’t, after breaking every box-office record in India?) “We just didn’t create Baahubali, the film. We created a world of Baahubali,” he said. “We are always trying to expand it and take it further.”
One thing Rajamouli didn’t invest too deeply in when heading back to the edit bay for The Epic was previous criticisms of the two movies. When asked about the political readings and cultural critiques that have followed his grand mythological blockbusters, Rajamouli seemed unfazed. “There are two kinds of criticism,” he says. “One where people go to the movie and they just don’t like the movie or a portion of it — that’s the kind I would like to take. And there is another kind where they try to find some intentions behind the filmmaker in making the movie, which is quite boring.”
He’s aware of the technical or storytelling critiques — “color grading was a bit too dark,” he recalled of reactions to Baahubali: The Beginning a decade ago — but the notion that his work carries coded ideology seems beside the point to him.
A sign that Rajamouli truly isn’t deterred while working at the largest scale imaginable: The Epic paves the way for a major new project, the 3D CG animated sequel Baahubali: The Eternal War. (A teaser is attached to screenings of The Epic.) Unlike the Baahubali series previously developed for Netflix — which was shelved after failing to meet Rajamouli’s standards — and the newer animated series on Hotstar, Baahubali: Crown of Blood, The Eternal War is a full-fledged feature. “We are coming with a proper movie,” he confirms.
Rajamouli remains committed to exploring the mythology and emotional weight of this universe, but it’ll take a while. He’s currently working with Priyanka Chopra and Telugu star Mahesh Babu on a movie with the working title GEN 63, and he says he can really only focus on one film at a time. While he fielded calls from Hollywood studios after RRR‘s global success, he prefers to complete one film before diving into another.RRR’s global success
But he insists he’s not done with Baahubali, or, as he shouts out, previous hits like RRR and Eega. “I really want to take them forward,” he says.
Baahubali: The Epic opens in theaters on Oct. 31.
