SS Rajamouli and the team of behind Baahubali are intensely working on crafting a unique experience for audiences with Baahubali: The Epic, a combined feature consisting of the two films — Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) — as franchise celebrates its tenth anniversary.
While it was earlier reported that the film may run for about 5 hours and 27 minutes, it has now been confirmed by producer Shobu Yarlagadda that Baahubali: The Epic will have a runtime of about 3 hours and 45 minutes with the film following the events of Baahubali: The Beginning followed by The Conclusion after the intermission. "It's like watching two films in one combined movie. The events are not in a non-linear way," he said in an interview with Gulte.
When probed if the makes have teased an announcement for Baahubali 3 at the end of The Epic, Shobu Yarlagadda refuted it, saying, "I can assure you that there is no announcement for Baahubali 3, but there might be other surprises in store. If he had to take it up, there is a lot of work that needs to be done for it. But the world of Baahubali is thriving and the re-release is just the beginning of it. Rajamouli and I strongly believe that there many stories that can be told through this world."
According to reports, the new cut may include deleted sequences that never made it to theatres. Rajamouli is said to have shot more than 11 hours of material across the two films, much of which was left out during editing. Some of these unseen moments are now expected to be restored for the release, making this version distinct from its earlier theatrical runs.
The re-release marks the 10th anniversary of Baahubali: The Beginning, which in 2015 became the first Telugu film to win the National Award for Best Feature Film. The sequel, released in 2017, went on to break box office records, grossing over Rs 1,800 crore globally, cementing the film's legacy in the history of Indian cinema and soared Rajamouli's popularity across the globe. The franchise stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia in lead roles, supported by Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj and Nassar.
Baahubali: The Epic hits theatres on October 31. Ahead of the release, Netflix has removed both the titles from their platform, a move aimed at pushing audiences to watch the epic saga back in theatres.