SS Rajamouli on expanding the Baahubali universe beyond the animated series: ‘It took time to find the right people’

SS Rajamouli opened up about the Disney+ Hotstar series, Baahubali: Crown of Blood, expanding the Baahubali universe and more at a press meet in Hyderabad.

Director SS Rajamouli promoted the Disney+ Hotstar animated series Baahubali: Crown of Blood in Hyderabad. Talking to the press, he spoke about everything from why he thought this animated series was the right step forward for his Baahubali franchise to discussing how filmmakers in India should begin viewing animation as a good medium for storytelling. (Also Read: Baahubali Crown of Blood trailer: Amarendra, Bhallaldeva team up against Kattappa in animated action-series)

SS Rajamouli's Baahubali franchise will be taken forward by the animated series Baahubali: Crown of Blood.

‘We don’t seem to go beyond cartoons’

Rajamouli commented that in India, especially filmmakers, many look at animation as something for children, unlike other Asian countries. “It’s surprising that unlike Japan, a colourful country like India doesn’t go beyond children’s cartoons when it comes to animation. We still think of every story in terms of films. But in a country of crores of people, only 10 crore of them bought tickets for a film like Baahubali which was highly successful,” he claimed.

He added that even in Hyderabad, he knows there’s an audience for animation, unlike what most seem to think. “As filmmakers, we must step it up and explore all mediums. People like books, novels, games, anime (Asian animation). The idea is to take the story of Baahubali to people like them. And yet, look at us. We are still talking about the cliffhanger of Baahubali: The Beginning and how the film was effective when told in two parts. That mindset needs to change,” he added.

‘Baahubali has potential to be a proper franchise’

Rajamouli also spoke about how, in India, when a film is a hit, that’s as far as it goes. “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 has panned out as expected,” he said, adding, “It took us time to get here, to find the right people. It also was difficult to break away and hand over the reins to Sharad (Devarajan, creator). But they did a good job with it and it's something that needed to happen. We have more plans for this.”

Shobu Yarlagadda, the producer of Baahubali films, also agreed, stating, “Baahubali films are only one part of a whole. It has multiple parts to it for becoming a tentpole franchise. This is adult entertainment, in the sense, it’s meant for everyone beyond kids. We wanted people to come into the world of Baahubali in multiple ways.”

About Baahubali: Crown of Blood

Baahubali: Crown of Blood is an animated series that will stream on Disney+ Hotstar from May 17 in multiple languages. The makers describe it as, “A dark chapter in the Mahishmati kingdom’s history that became its greatest challenge and shaped the future of its two prices, Baahubali and Bhallaladeva.” Rajamouli revealed that the story shown in the series takes place during the events shown in the Baahubali films.