The Making of Baahubali: The Epic Adventure of the Vision

 of S.S. Rajamouli.

Indian cinema hardly ever experiences a movie that does not only emerge as a monumental box-office success but also changes the manner in which the world perceives the Indian filmmaking. Baahubali by S.S. Rajamouli is one of such achievements: a movie masterpiece that changed the concept of size, plot and technical masterpiece. And behind the great pictures and the classical vistas one can find the remarkable tale of hard labor, creativity, and commitment. It is time to explore the behind-the-scene story of Baahubali, a movie that brought Indian cinema to a new level.

1. Rajamouli Vision -Where It All Began.

Baahubali was a dream that was in the mind of S.S. Rajamouli way before the project started. He envisioned a world which was inspired by Indian mythology and full of courage, sacrifice, royal power and emotionality.
Based on such imagination was Mahishmati, a kingdom so grand that it took two entire movies, Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion to actually make the story come true.

Rajamouli wanted to make an Indian epic, which would be on par with cinematic giants in the world and the first step in that dream was the excessive planning and world building.

2. Big Sets - Building a Kingdom by Unlike Design.

One of the largest struggles of the production was to bring Mahishmati to life. The sets were massive, made by hand and constructed to the very last detail:

• The Mahishmati Palace installation was so massive that it resembled a small city in itself.
• During the construction of the battlefield, more than 100 acres were used.
• It was an innovative mix of real-life settings and state-of-the-art VFX, the classic waterfall sequence.

Months were spent by hundreds of carpenters, sculptors, painters, designers, technicians, and so on working. These were not mere sets, but living spaces that the actors were drawn into the world of Baahubali.

3. Actor Preparation A Test of Body and Mind.

The performers took years in developing their characters.

Prabhas who performed the role of Amarendra Baahubali and Mahendra Baahubali spent five years on the project alone.
His body metamorphosis is still one of the most spectacular ones in Indian cinema:

• Lost close to 30 kg to be a warrior.
• Nurse in martial arts, sword-fighting and horse riding.
• Had a severe diet and exercise program.

Rana Daggubati who acted as an antagonist Bhallaladeva developed a strong and muscular body that rivaled Prabhas in strength and might.

Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia also took months to learn swordplay, archery, fight choreography and horse riding.
It was not merely acting, it was spiritual and bodily dedication.

4. VFX - Indian Movie Technology Revolution.

Baahubali is among the biggest VFX-based movies in India with more than 4,500 VFX shots done in leading studios both in India and globally.

• Certain best VFX achievements were:
• The majestic waterfall
• The huge Mahishmati kingdom
• Thousands of digital soldiers in war scenes.
• The dramatic climax scenes

The VFX departments took months of work to get each frame to perfection. What was created was a smooth integration of reality and computer art, which has made Baahubali similar to Hollywood epics.

5. Battle Scenes - A Mini-Army Behind Each Shot.

The battle scenes are still one of the most memorable scenes in Baahubali.
To film such enormous scenes:

• Junior artists and stunt performers were recruited in thousands.
• The battle movements were done by several action choreographers.
• Real swords and shields, chariots and horses were made.
• Every scene had been rehearsed dozens of times prior to shooting.
• These sequences required ideal coordination, physical stamina and organization on military level.

6. Music & Sound -Soul of the Film.

The music by M.M. Keeravani gave life to the emotional and dramatic aspect of the film.
The background music brought each scene to a higher plane - the atmosphere of the popularization of Mahendra Baahubali and of the battlefields.

• Sound designers recorded:
• War cries
• Footsteps
• Sword clashes
• Crowd roars
• Ambient nature sounds
• The sound effect caused the world of Baahubali to become natural and close to the actual world.

7. The Dream Team Behind the Magic 5,000 People, One Dream.

Baahubali was not produced by a small group of people, but a huge joint venture where over 5,000 individuals worked on the project in 5 years.

• This included:
• Set designers
• VFX artists
• Costume designers
• Makeup teams
• Cameramen
• Stunt directors
• Digital artists
• Production crew

All of them worked many hours sometimes under severe weather conditions to make the dream of Rajamouli come true.

Conclusion — More Than a Movie

Baahubali is not an ordinary movie, it is also an ode to passion, collaboration and imagination strength. The behind the scenes story shows how hard work has been done to all the scenes that have captivated people across the globe. Rajamouli and his crew demonstrated that Indian cinema is not afraid of big dreams--and can come even bigger.