More than a decade after Baahubali: The Beginning redefined Indian cinema, a revelation is breaking the internet. The Netflix documentary series, Baahubali: The Torchbearer, premiered on June 26. In the series, the core team talked about their emotional, anxious states on the day of the movie’s release in July 2015. SS Rajamouli, Prabhas, Rama Rajamouli, and SS Karthikeya (Rajamouli’s son) admitted they deeply feared a total rout of the film on its opening day.

The film was made on a huge scale by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni. No one knew if a regional Telugu film could actually bridge national markets back in 2015. On the morning of July 10 that year, anxiety ruled the camp. They genuinely believed everything might crumble. As Karthikeya, who is also co-producing Varanasi, said, the entire Twitter timeline was calling the movie a disaster. “I was crying while scrolling the tweets,” he added.

Initial fears vs. iconic shift

Today, this vulnerability is taking social media users by surprise. Fans, particularly those who are not aware that the Telugu States didn’t receive the epic action drama positively on its opening day, are stunned by the contrast between those initial fears and the historic reality. The franchise eventually birthed the pan-India phenomenon.

Team Baahubali commands respect

Netizens are flooding X and Instagram with emotional messages. One fan wrote that the revelation gives a whole new level of respect to the team. “It’s shocking to learn that the feedback from the ground was that negative in AP and Telangana. I used to believe it was mixed at best. I didn’t know that the reviews in Telugu were unanimously negative, so much so, Rajamouli was inquiring with a distributor as to how the second part could be bailed out,” a fan wrote. Rajamouli’s wife admitted that she was mulling over selling her land in Manikonda, Hyderabad, to make good the losses of the producers, in case the film didn’t click at the box office.

Baahubali: The Conclusion was released two years later. It amassed much bigger figures than the first part.

Also Read: Baahubali: The Eternal War Selected for Cannes of Animation; Prabhas Calls It ‘something special’

Director Nandini Reddy has shared an interesting story from the sets of Maa Inti Bangaram. While shooting for the wedding song Thassadiya, Samantha appeared quite weak. Nandini Reddy assumed the actress was down with a fever. The director only learned the true reason the next day when Samantha revealed she was pregnant. She had been dealing with morning sickness, which the filmmaker knew nothing about during the shoot.

Later, speculation about the pregnancy started right after the film was released on June 19. Fans spotted a tiny baby bump on the actress. Days later, Samantha officially confirmed the news. She announced she would be taking a maternity leave.

The greatest gift

Speaking at an event to celebrate the film’s box office success in Vizag, Samantha revealed that it was her husband who pushed her to do this ‘one film.’ She had been undergoing doubts. “It feels like a dream. In the last three years, I was homebound for 2 years, battling a health crisis. I thank the audience for the greatest gift. You have embraced Maa Inti Bangaram like your own. You have my whole heart! The number of women in theatres, the number of grannies and kids watching our movie in cinemas, whistling, enjoying… the feeling is indescribable,” Samantha added.

MIB to have a sequel

Meanwhile, her husband and film writer Raj Nidimoru announced a sequel to the film on Friday. He stated that they are already planning the next chapter. He noted that the story naturally lends itself to a continuation. He promised that the upcoming script will bring even more high-octane action. Its release is expected in 2028.

Maa Inti Bangaram has turned out to be a clear commercial success. The film successfully subverts standard commercial templates by placing a woman in a heavy action role.

Also Read: Maa Inti Bangaaram Box Office: This Is How Much Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Film Collected

As is known, director SS Rajamouli has shared the biggest update yet on the shooting progress of Varanasi. For the first time, the filmmaker has revealed when the ambitious project is expected to complete filming. The production has wrapped up its biggest action sequences. A major portion of the epic globe-trotting spectacle film has already been completed. The celebrated filmmaker confirmed that all the large-scale spectacle action sequences designed for the IMAX format have been shot. The director, known for Baahubali and RRR, further added that the team is now focusing on the smaller scenes that connect the larger set pieces. These sequences are expected to take the production through the next few months before cameras finally stop rolling.

Fans are legit elated

With Rajamouli specifically confirming that only smaller, interconnecting scenes are pending to be shot and that they will be done being filmed by the end of October, fans are legitimately thrilled. They are confident that Varanasi is going to be a rare event film that is sticking to its original release date (April 7, 2027, is when the Mahesh Babu-starrer is coming out in theatres). Attention is expected to shift towards the film’s extensive post-production process, including visual effects, editing and sound design.

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran recently spoke about Rajamouli’s meticulous filmmaking style. He recalled that the director once went for as many as 97 takes for a single shot. According to Prithviraj, Rajamouli remains patient and keeps filming until he achieves exactly what he has envisioned.

Outstanding visual experience

Varanasi is mounted on a breathtaking scale and features Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Prakash Raj in major roles. With music by MM Keeravani, the mythology-inspired action adventure is targeting a worldwide theatrical release. Recently, when a Netflix executive was asked about whether the movie’s post-theatrical digital rights are held by it, she told the audience to wait for surprises.

Also Read: Mahesh Babu Gears Up for an Intense Action Sequence for SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi