KATTAPPA'S SWORD, INDIA'S CLIFFHANGER

Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali? The question shook a good section of the nation following the 2015 release of S.S. Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Beginning, the Telugu war epic about a man (Prabhas) learning his true legacy. The film ended with a loyal Kattappa (Sathyaraj) ruefully driving a sword through him, leaving audiences shattered.

- BY SRUTHI GANAPATHY RAMAN

In the window between the ending of the film and the release of Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017), the question topped Google searches, found its way into election campaign references, was piggybacked into brand integrations and ads, and of course found a permanent place among pop culture touchpoints on the internet.

The films, which complete 10 years in 2025, are headed for a massive re-release on 31 October, as a reedited combined film titled Baahubali: The Epic. Arka Media Works, the production company behind the two-part film series, was also the mastermind behind the marketing campaign.

Ahead of the re-release, co-founder of Arka Media Works, Shobu Yarlagadda, tells The Hollywood Reporter India about how they did it all and whether he would do it all over again.

THR India: Was the first part always meant to end with Kattappa killing Baahubali?

SHOBU YARLAGADDA: In the very beginning of the film, there's a scene where Sathyaraj speaks to Kichcha Sudeep's character in the armoury. In the original screenplay, Kattappa reveals killing Baahubali in the scene. About a month before release, [M.M.] Keeravani garu (sir) was composing the music, and he said, "You know, this should not be here, this should be at the end." That's when he told Rajamouli, who liked the idea. The rest is history.

THR India: At what point did Arka realise that this was something that needed to be aggressively marketed?