Baahubali: The Beginning, also known as BB1,[5] is an Indian dramatic-action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli. The film was produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni and was shot as a bilingual in Telugu and Tamil. The film stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, and Tamannaah in the lead roles, with Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, and Nassar in supporting roles. The first of two cinematic parts, the film follows Shivudu, an adventurous young man who helps his love, a rebellious warrior intending to rescue the former queen of Mahishmati. In the process, he learns of his true identity as the heir to the throne of Mahishmati, the son of Amarendra Baahubali, whose tale is narrated to him by Kattappa, a loyal slave. When asked about Amarendra's whereabouts, the slave reveals that he was the one who killed him. The reason behind this is explained in the follow-up Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.
Baahubali: The Beginning
Baahubali poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by S. S. Rajamouli
Produced by
Shobu Yarlagadda
Prasad Devineni
Written by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad
Screenplay by
K. V. Vijayendra Prasad
S. S. Rajamouli
Story by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad
Starring
Prabhas
Rana Daggubati
Anushka Shetty
Tamannaah
Ramya Krishnan
Sathyaraj
Nassar
Music by M. M. Keeravani
Cinematography K. K. Senthil Kumar
Edited by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Production
company
Arka Media Works
Distributed by
Telugu:
Arka Media Works
Tamil:
Studio Green
UV Creations
Sri Thenandal Films
Release date
10 July 2015
Running time
158 minutes[1] (Telugu)
159 minutes[2] (Tamil)
Country India
Language Telugu
Tamil
Budget ₹180 crore[3]
Box office est. ₹650 crore[4]
The film was conceived by Rajamouli's father K. V. Vijayendra Prasad, who randomly told him a story about Sivagami, a woman who carries a baby in her hand while crossing a river, and a few years later about Kattappa, which intrigued Rajamouli. His fascination with mythology and the tales of Amar Chitra Katha comics further fueled his interest in the story. However, it took the writers three months to finalise the final draft. The soundtrack and background score were composed by M. M. Keeravani while the cinematography, production design, and VFX were handled by K. K. Senthil Kumar, Sabu Cyril and V. Srinivas Mohan respectively.
The film was made on a budget of ₹180 crore (US$28 million), making it the most expensive Indian film at its time of release. The film opened worldwide on 10 July 2015, garnering critical acclaim and record breaking box office success. With a worldwide box office gross of ₹650 crore (US$100 million), it became the highest-grossing film in India, third highest-grossing Indian film worldwide, and highest-grossing South Indian film, at the time of its release. Its Hindi dubbed version also broke several records by becoming the highest grossing dubbed film in India. Both budget and box office records since has been surpassed by The Conclusion. The Beginning is the highest grossing Indian film of 2015 and the fourth highest grossing Indian film of all time.
It received several accolades. It won the National Film Award for Best Special Effects and Best Feature Film, becoming the first Telugu film to win the award. At the 63rd Filmfare Awards South, the Telugu version won five awards from ten nominations, including Best Film, Best Director for Rajamouli and Best Supporting Actress for Krishnan. The Beginning became the first Indian film to be nominated for Saturn Awards, receiving five nominations at the 42nd ceremony, including Best Fantasy Film and Best Supporting Actress for Tamannaah. The film's second and final cinematic part was released on 28 April 2017.