Baahubali: The Beginning

Baahubali: The Beginning (transl. One With Strong Arms) is a 2015 Indian epic action film co-written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli, and produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under Arka Media Works. Produced in the Telugu film industry, the film was shot in both Telugu and Tamil languages. It features Prabhas in a dual role alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, and Nassar. The first of a duology of films, it follows Sivudu, an adventurous young man who helps his love Avantika rescue Devasena, the princess of Kuntala who is now a prisoner under the tyrannical rule of king Bhallaladeva. The story concludes in Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017).

The film's story was written by Rajamouli's father V. Vijayendra Prasad, who 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 Mahabharata and the tales of Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama further fueled his interest in the story. It took the writers three months to complete the final draft. The soundtrack and background score were composed by M. M. Keeravani, while cinematography, production design, and visual effects (VFX) were handled by K. K. Senthil Kumar, Sabu Cyril, and V. Srinivas Mohan.

The film was made on a budget of ₹180 crore ($28 million), making it the most expensive Indian film at its time of release. The film opened worldwide on 10 July 2015 along with the dubbed versions in Hindi and Malayalam. It received national and international acclaim for Rajamouli's direction, story, visual effects, cinematography, themes, action sequences, music, and performances, and became a record-breaking box office success. With a worldwide box office gross of ₹600–650 crore, it became the highest-grossing Telugu film and the second highest-grossing Indian film worldwide at the time of its release. It is currently the sixth highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. At the time of its release, it also became the highest-grossing Tamil film and currently, the third highest-grossing Tamil film. Its Hindi dubbed version also broke several records by becoming the highest-grossing dubbed film in Hindi of all time. Both budget and box office records have since been surpassed by Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, the highest-grossing film in India of all time.

Baahubali: The Beginning along with its successor, is widely regarded as one of the most influential films of Indian cinema. It 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. It received several accolades such as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, and the National Award for Best Special Effects. It won five awards from ten nominations, including Best Telugu Film, Best Director – Telugu for Rajamouli, and Best Supporting Actress – Telugu for Ramya Krishna respectively, at the 63rd Filmfare Awards South. A combined recut version of The Beginning and The Conclusion, titled Baahubali: The Epic, was theatrically released worldwide on 31 October 2025.

An injured middle-aged woman emerges from a cave underneath a giant waterfall, carrying an infant. While trying to cross a raging river, she is swept away by the current. Facing imminent death, the woman holds the baby aloft and prays to Lord Shiva to protect the child, Mahendra Baahubali, for the sake of his birth mother and the kingdom of Mahishmati. The tribesmen of Amburi rescue the child and the chieftain's wife, Sanga, adopts him, naming him Sivudu.

Sivudu grows up to be an ambitious and mischievous man, obsessed with ascending the waterfall despite Sanga's restraints. He exhibits superhuman strength by lifting the Shiva Lingam and placing it at the foot of the waterfall, where he finds a face mask that falls from above. Realising that the mask belongs to a beautiful woman, he is determined to find its owner. With the same resolution, he successfully climbs the waterfall and discovers that the mask belongs to Avantika, a warrior woman belonging to a resistance group dedicated to rescuing Devasena, the captive princess, from the despotic king of Mahishmati, Bhallaladeva.

Smitten with Avantika, Sivudu pledges to fulfil her cause and sets out for Mahishmati. He infiltrates the kingdom disguised as a guard during the festivities of Bhallaladeva's birthday, where he rescues people from being crushed by his enormous golden statue. An elderly slave recognises him to be Baahubali and chants the name. Eventually, everyone at the celebration chants Bahubali's name, enraging Bhallaladeva. On the same night, Sivudu distracts Bhallaladeva and escapes from the city with Devasena, with Bhallaladeva's son, Bhadra, and his generous slave general, Kattappa, in pursuit.

In the ensuing clash, Sivudu beheads Bhadra after he hurls insults at Devasena just as Avantika, the members of her resistance group and the people of Amburi tribe arrive at the scene. Kattappa, upon seeing Sivudu's face, falls at his feet and proclaims him Baahubali. When Sivudu confronts him, Kattappa reveals that he is the son of Amarendra Baahubali, the beloved warrior prince of Mahishmati, and the woman, who died protecting him as an infant, is Regent Sivagami, and narrates his story.