Baahubali animation series not a prequel, confirms SS Rajamouli

Filmmaker SS Rajamouli was present at the launch ceremony held on Tuesday for Baahubali: Crown of Blood, the upcoming action series that is set in the Mahishmati kingdom, which served as the base for Rajamouli’s Baahubali franchise movies. Rajamouli was accompanied at the ceremony by actor Sharad Kelkar, CEO of Graphic India Sharad Devarajan, Disney+ Hotstar Content head Gaurav Banerjee, and producer Shobu Yarlagadda. During the event, the filmmaker spilled the beans about the storyline of the series, clarifying that it is not a prequel to his Baahubali franchise. 

Addressing the media, Rajamouli stated, “Not the entire characters, but we knew where we could expand the stories. This is not exactly a prequel. This happens right in the middle of a film where we had a chance to split the story into two, and insert sequences where they can continue, and you will be reminded constantly of what happened in the story that you know of.”

The filmmaker clarified that they didn’t create the entire story for the animation series, instead chose to "create spaces that could be expanded upon.” “We talked about prequels, what can happen in between and post-Baahubali. We talked about all scenarios, and picked up the best one,” said the filmmaker.

Baahubali: Crown of Blood is produced by Graphic India, Arca Mediaworks Production, Rajamouli, Sharad Devarajan, and Shobu Yarlagadda. Directed by Jeevan J. Kang & Naveen John, the series will air on May 17 on Disney+ Hotstar.